New Skies
by TGabbyS
Summary: Old evils are afoot in new places. One out of the ordinary Friday Night training run sets off a chain of events that, even for our four boys, are totally out of this world. New allies are found and lost as they step up to plate, becoming the heroes a far-off realm might not have necessarily wanted, but desperately needed.
1. Elen sila lumenn omentilmo

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately _I do not own the Ninja Turtles or any of their wonderful comrades or enemies, though it's number 10 on my bucket list for when I graduate high school and become a -hopefully- successful person. *Coughs* The only things I can claim ownership to are the situations I'm subjecting our favorite turtles, and a handful of OC's. Yes, I'm sorry, this is heavily based on the boy's - and their allies - interactions with_ _OC's and an original world, but bear with me. I've run them all through Mary Stu and Gary Stu_ _tests I could get my hands on and I expect open-palmed slaps to the face if they get out of line._

_I only recently rediscovered my love for these guys after several years of branching out into other fandoms, but I'm back and I'm ready to give writing for them another shot. The last time I wrote a full-fledged for these guys was - oh geez - four years ago? Point is, it's been a long time and I haven't done much writing besides scribbling down character ideas since. So I'll admit, this is kind of an experiment for me to see if I can get back into my groove, and to find my style once again. You're going to see the stumbling steps of a writer trying to get her bearings back but I hope you enjoy the journey, and at least partially approve of it. It's been a painful recovery process and I hesitated putting it up here Oh, and please forgive me for any particular brow-raising verb tense issues. It's always been my weak point, and with this dabbling in various perspectives I can use all the help I can get setting them straight._

_I think that's it, so please, enjoy!_

* * *

**Omniscient 3rd Person**

It was a warm summer night in Manhattan. The stars were out, eager to shine through the haze of light crowning the bustling city. The four of them were trekking in the shadows, as per usual on Friday Night training runs. They all raced with confidence between the rooftops; only faint flashes of color able to be picked out of the shadows. Moonlight found them paused atop an old warehouse, laughter sneaking between heavy pants. A prideful crow filled the silence, "So, as the winner of the D Street race, I get to choose the game!"

Michelangelo was grinning from ear to ear, even as his brothers exchanged begrudging looks. With raised eyebrows and composed breath, Leonardo found himself asking the obvious: "Ninja Tag, right?"

A loud groan rose from the resident hothead at the impossibly-wide affirming grin Mikey flashed in response. "Well duh. And? I get to choose the teams. Meaning the lucky turtle on my team is…" He took a breath, intending to pause for dramatic effect—

"Leo," interrupted Raph with a roll of his eyes. "Like usual." Grabbing Don roughly by the tails of his bandana, he started toward to the edge of the building. "Come on, Braniac."

"Ow, Raph, hey!"

Mikey's pout lasted roughly 2.5 seconds before turning to smile cheesily at his older brother. "You ready to dominate? Because with the Battle Nexus Champion on your side—"

"I can't lose. Yes, Mikey, I know. It's what you said the last ten times we teamed up." Smiling in amusement at his little brother's deflated expression, he called after his brothers. "Guys! Ten minutes! And no further than West Street and Eastman!"

"Yeah, yeah, Fearless, we got it!" Was the quick, but predictable retort from the next building over. Leo glanced down to address his younger brother, only to see him already setting the timer. He allowed himself a small smile.

* * *

**Unknown P.O.V.**

Screams of terror

_**Tua lye! (1)  
**_

Flashes of light across the sky

Wood splinters, bones cracking

_**Ed' Alestrial, please! (2)  
**_

Panicked mutters, wide eyes

Incantations

_**Rima ten'ta! (3)  
**_

_**Manke naa lye autien? (4)  
**_

_**Ed' Alestrial, mani naa lle umien? (5)  
**_

Searing, white hot pain

_**Alestrial, Alestrial—**_

* * *

**Donatello's P.O.V.**

A bright light illuminated the sky for a brief moment-if I had blinked I would have missed it. Now I could see a glowing blue circle, reminding me of the portals we've seen Master Splinter, Usagi, and the Daimyo use for inter-dimension travel, hovering above a roof two buildings down. I blinked a few moments before looking at Raph. If his 'Oh geez, wonder what it is this time' look combined with a slightly slack-jawed expression was anything to go by, then either we were both hallucinating or that had really just happened. My cell shell chimed, effectively dispelling the awkward silence. Ignoring a glare from Raph, I picked it up. "Hello?"

Mikey's uncertain voice came on the line, and I could almost imagine the wide blue eyes he'd be sporting. "So, uhm…. You guys saw that, right?" His barely-concealed-excitement was audible over the phone as well.

Clearing my throat, I continued to eye the portal as I spoke. "Correction: we're seeing it right now. That flash seemed to be the prelude to that portal that's appeared about two buildings down from us."

"Whoah, a portal? You mean like—hey, Leo, _I'm_ making the call—"

I swallowed slightly, hearing squawks of indignation as a battle of wills rolled on for possession of the phone. Like usual, Leo won over, as evidenced when his voice came onto the line. "A portal, Don?"

"It's what it seems like. From a distance it seems pretty similar to the ones we've seen before. Do you want us to check it out?" I could practically hear him thinking on the other line. Raph was fidgeting next to me, obviously eager to go check out whatever it was that just appeared.

"How close are you to it?"

"About two roofs across."

"I see." He made the small 'hum'ing sound he usually does when he's taking in information. "Give me your coordinates and we'll come to you." I nodded to myself, easily rattling off the street and building we were currently on top of. "Alright," came Leo's voice once more. "Don't do anything until we get there. And keep us updated if it does anything else, or if anyone comes out, alright?"

"Sure thing, Leo."

Hanging up, I squatted beside Raph, who was still watching the glowing portal with his usual intensity. He bristled slightly, raising one eye brow, if we were to have any, at me. "We have ta wait for 'im, don't we?" I could only offer a sheepish smile in reply, as any rational explanation of why Leo's reasoning was sound would send him into a hissy fit.

His eyes narrowed, giving a low huff. If we had nostrils, his would probably be flaring. He and Leo were at odds again, surprise, surprise. Admittedly, though, this time around was much tamer than their other conflicts had been. Or at least it seemed that way. There had been far less outright fights and arguments, which meant that they were either both silently steaming at each other, biding their time for an explosion of unparalleled proportions or they both realized they had gotten worked up over something petty and didn't want to admit it to each other.

I gave a small huff of my own, deciding to save the mental rant about stubborn brothers for another time.

The corner of Raph's lips quirked, probably thinking my annoyance was also stemming from being held back my Leo's orders. I just gave a lopsided smile, and returned to watching the so-far-inactive portal. I half wondered if it was going to wink out before Mikey and Leo got here.

* * *

**Michelangelo's P.O.V.**

So maybe I was more than slightly excited. You really can't blame me: I mean, it's not like portals to other dimensions-slash-worlds opened up every day in the middle of a training run! Alright, so it has happened before… more than once, actually… but it's not like it's a 'common occurrence', as Don would put it. I tried to think of who could be using the portal this time. If it was the Daimyo or Usagi then we would've probably heard about it beforehand. They're all about the formality and politeness and that sort of thing so that kinda ruled them out. It wasn't the Ultimate Ninja, as he was just a kid right now. In fact, now that I thought about it, why would anyone that would want to make friendly contact with us appear in the middle of Manhattan without, you know, guarantee that we would be there?

I take a look at Leo's face while we ran toward our bro's location, and found that he was wearing his solemn ready-for-battle face. I swallowed, because that face meant he already had just gone through the same mental maze I had to reach the same conclusion. Except a lot faster, obviously.

We finally reached our brothers in about two minutes, because really, we are the master navigators of the Manhattan rooftops, and saw the portal Don was talking about. It was kind of hard to miss, actually.

Don and Raph both got to their feet as we approached, waiting, like me, for Leo to assess the situation and to give us our next move. "I think you might be right, Don. But we need to get a closer look." Quick as you please, we were moving to the next building over.

The portal suddenly flashed, and as one we all skidded to a halt. A shrill scream seemed to come from out of nowhere, and five undistinguishable forms came out of—were more _ejected _out of- the portal, flying across the flat rooftop and landing with horrific THUDS on the cement. The identical looks of shock on my brother's faces would've been hilarious if the situation had been different.

Leo held out his hand, keeping us back, and motioned for us to take cover. The portal vanished, but the figures remained easy enough to see despite the shadows. When you live in the sewers and spent the majority of your time sneaking around at night, your eyes start to adjust to the darkness, you know. Or something like that. From my position, I didn't even have to squint to see what was going on. The five figures had stood up – so they were bipedal, I guess, maybe they were friendly -, and four out of the five were dressed in dark clothing, almost resembling robes. The four in robes had rounded on the fifth – okay maybe not so friendly – and from the glint in their hands they were carrying weapons. It was like something from out of those really bad cult movies, especially seeing as how they were all surrounding a small blonde girl who looked like she was wearing one of those peasant dresses from the Renaissance Fair. She was also holding a sword, but was visibly favoring her right side with something of a limp. My heart leapt in my throat, seeing as she stepped into better lighting that her entire right side was covered in blood.

I glanced at Leo for our next move, and saw his eyes narrowed behind the mask. Don had a hand on his bo staff, and Raph's thumbs were stroking the handle of his sais. Leo gave us all the once-over, doing his contemplative frowning-thing. "Follow my lead." He then began to head over to the next roof, expecting us to follow. He hadn't drawn his katanas, which meant that he probably was going to try to talk to these guys first.

I swallowed, following his lead. I doubted that talking was going to work, and I suspected Leo did too, but he always did like looking at all the angles.

**Leonardo's P.O.V.**

When the girl had shifted into the light and revealed the blood on her dress I knew it was time to step in. She'd been holding the sword with the sort of confidence one only found when they'd been dealing with blades for several years, but the grip had been awkward. That, combined with the favoring of her side, meant that she was wielding the blade with her weak arm as she used the other to hold her side. One to four odds was not something I liked seeing, especially with a girl so small, but I liked it even less so when the girl was obviously injured and not at her peak.

After telling my brothers to follow my lead, I quickly made my way across the rooftop. I didn't draw my blades, not wanting to scare the girl we were intending to help, but also out of hope that maybe we could make some sort of sense out of this chaos.

When we got to the rooftop, all five of them, the girl and her attackers, stopped and stared at us. Each of them was visibly on their guard, but without a trace of fear. "Hey, don't you guys know that it's not nice to pick on girls?" Came Mikey's taunt, but the concern was audible in his tone as we stepped between the girl and the figures, our stances ready and threatening.

The four fairly tall cloaked figures glanced at each other, gripping their glistening daggers uncertainly, before one removed his hood – and it took all of my willpower to not let my mouth drop open. The man-humanoid-creature- was obviously reptilian, with slanted yellow eyes. Scales puckered around where his-its ears should have been had it been human, and covered it's completely bald head.

"Dude! It's like a snake-man! We could totally be relatives!"

Yellow eyes narrowed. A fork tongue flicked out as its eyes tracked all four of us, obviously sizing us up. "**Mani naa lle? (6)**"

I opened my mouth, then closed it, quickly looking at Don. "Uhm… Don?"

Don looked equally surprised, a lump appearing in his throat that was quickly swallowed down. "That wasn't English. Or any language I've ever heard of."

Raph gave a low groan. "You're not serious."

"Well we can't expect_ all_ aliens and other-worldly life-forms to know English…"

The girl and the snake-creatures all looked confused and dazed. Actually, the girl looked like she was about to—"Somebody catch her!" I cried, just now realizing that with the amount of blood on her dress and in her blonde hair, she should not be conscious.

Don quickly went to it, diving impressively to catch her, and cradled her small form in his arms. Her sword fell to the ground with a clang, catching the attention from the snake-men in front of us.

Immediately a loud hiss rose from the group, and the one in front – the leader I'm assuming – pointed a finger at the girl we were currently screening from his view, and back to himself and his allies. "**Ona he a'lye, usquenerea! Ssssssssii'! (7)**"

There was no need for a translator for that one, if the defiant expressions on my brother's faces were anything to go by. "Don, get her to the lair. We'll take care of them."

"We sure will." Raph's face had contorted into a leer – and while I was confident in our abilities, I didn't think he should be so cocky considering we had no idea what these guys' skill level was. However, seeing as how he'd been itching for a good fight as of late, I wouldn't begrudge him. Especially since these four clearly deserved it.

The reptilian creatures were watching us expectantly, and their smiles had turned maliciously gleeful when I had gestured to Don. I would think that they were used to being complied to, or that they were just terrible at interpreting intentions.

They understood however, when Don got to his feet with the girl in tow and took off. Snarling in rage, the snake-men leapt into action, trying to get past us and to Don – but if they thought it was going to be that easy they had another thing coming.

* * *

**Donatello's P.O.V.**

I'd kept an eye on the girl as soon as we had reached the roof; with that much blood lost, she was not going to stay conscious much longer. I'd been proven correct, and I was diving toward her before Leo had even called for someone to catch her. When I got her in my arms, I noted that while she was rather small, probably not even reaching five feet, she looked like she could easily be in her teens. I swallowed slightly, moving the blood-stained hair out of her face. I saw that the tips of her ears had points, like an elf's; she couldn't possibly be human.

I was about to tell my brothers so, when I heard the snake-people's harsh, demanding tone, and saw him gesture toward the girl in my arms. My blood boiled slightly, and I narrowed my eyes. When Leo gave me the order to get her out of here, I couldn't have been more relieved. I kept my smile small as I adjusted her gently in my arms. I rose to my feet, mentally tracking the quickest route back to the lair, and took off.

I could hear the creatures shout-hiss?-screech at my retreating back, and had no doubt that my brothers could take them on, even a turtle down. I continued running, my breaths and the girl's rapid, overcompensating heartbeat overwhelming even the sound of Manhattan traffic as I raced. What class of hemorrhaging was this? I didn't have the time to stop and look; none of my medical equipment was here. Off -hand it could possibly be Class II or Class III, but it was dramatically different in regards to whether she would need a blood-transfusion or not. She was so damn tiny.

I was still a few blocks down from where our lair was, but she was getting colder and colder in my arms. Her blood had spilled from her dress and was starting to slick my hands. I didn't have enough time. I needed to stop the bleeding NOW. I halted almost immediately, and gently set her down on the cement floor. It was cold, but holding her to me wouldn't have kept her any warmer. It wasn't the first time I regretted being a cold-blooded creature. Muttering apologies I tore her dress to find the wound, and praised whatever god that listened to mutated freaks like me that she was wearing some sort of shorts underneath.

I inhaled quietly, finding a deep puncture wound in her right side where she seemed to be losing most of her blood. There was also a cut across her forearm, a non-deadly bloody gash on her head, and whatever injuries she had been sustained from being ejected out of that portal. Those could be attended to later. I slipped off my elbow pad and, muttering more profuse apologies, I ripped off the usable parts of her dress, tearing them into strips. I placed the elbow pad to the wound, trying not to panic as the brief contact with her skin told me how much colder she'd gotten, and tied it in place with the strips. I tested the make-shift bandage, and, satisfied with my work, I began to wish I had something to keep her warm.

Gently pulling her into my arms once more, I continued on my way to the lair, hoping that would be enough to keep her alive.

* * *

**A/N: So, uhm, that's the end of that. There's more written, but I wanted to portion it out to see what people thought and to see if there was any interest. Comments, questions, criticisms? Constructive criticism makes me want to bury my head in the sand in shame, but is always welcome. This is a story is a tool to improve myself and to explore the character of the boys, so any and all advice is welcome, so please leave a review! Reviews are the equivalent of puppies and sunshine! Thanks for reading! ^^;**

**(1):** **_Help us! _(2):_ By Alestrial, please!_****(3): _Run for it! _(4): _Where are we going?_****(5): _By Alestrial, what are you doing? _(6): _What are you? _(7): _Give her to us, ugly ones! Now!_**

_Elen sila lumenn omentilmo _means "A star shall shine on the hour of our meeting."**  
**


	2. Creoso a'baramin

**Disclaimer:** _Unfortunately, I still do not own the Ninja Turtles. That delight is within Nickelodeon's greedy claws. Doesn't seem to stop them from pestering me in my brain, however._

_OH, and thank you so much **ninja-warrior101 **for being the lone reviewer thus far. ^^; The encouragement means a lot.  
_

(Rated T for Raphael's potty language and uncouth thoughts.)_  
_

* * *

**Raphael's P.O.V.**

I was more than ready for those scaly bastards when they came at us, hell, I was chompin' at the bit for them to try us. Human or not, these assholes had ganged up on some little girl, and if her passin' out meant anythin', then she wasn't doin' so hot.

A few minutes in, though, I could see these guys weren't all bark an' no bite. Of course, they outnumbered us by one so I wasn't takin' much weight to that. You'd think that those big black robes of theirs would slow them down, but they were agile as hell. It was hard getting a hit on them, but hell if we made it easy on them.

"These guys are fast! And I think their blades are coated with something!" called Leo, ever the observant one. Looking at the two I was facing off with, I could see he was right. The glint I saw coming off their daggers wasn't the usual shine of light off of metal. I scowled. Cheatin' bastards.

"Dudes! What's with the robes? Did you steal them off the set of _Harry Potter_?" Mikey never let up with the taunts. Not even when the things we were fightin' obviously didn't understand freakin' English! Then one of the bastard's tails wrapped around Mike's ankle and jerked him to the ground. Huh. Apparently annoying is a universal language. Mikey easily kipped up, much to snake-man's surprise, and delivered a hefty blow with his nun-chucks.

I parried one guy's stab and caught the other guy's dagger in my sai, smirking at his shocked expression when I twisted it out of his hand and into the cement roof beneath us. His eyes slit, stumbling back, and shrieked something to their 'leader', who was in the middle of some kind of dance with Leo. He easily side-stepped a strike from Leo and practically slithered to the edge of the building, dodging and twirling away from Leo like a freakin' ballerina. "**Tula, sssssssssii'! (1)**"

The three other snakes backed off, all disengaging from me an' Mike, and took off for the edges of the building. They were retreating! Of all the cowardly, shitty—

"Raph! Let them go!"

"Yer not frickin' serious!" I shot back. I couldn't believe he didn't want us to pursue these guys! Before I could get another word out, the freaks had slipped over the edges of the building and were probably on their way down the fire escape.

"U-uhm, guys? I-I think I got hit…" Whatever argument that was starting to rear its head quickly died down. Leo an' I both took a look at Mikey, an' saw him cradling his arm. I saw a small scratch; it really didn't look bad, but… I looked down at the dagger that I had wrestled from one of the snake guys. Tucking away my sais, I picked it up, scowling at the glistening fluid on the blade.

Leo was at Mikey's side, an arm around his waist. Concern was pullin' at his forehead, probably reaching the same conclusion I did. "Raph, bring that with us. Don will be able to figure out whatever it is."

"I'm fine, guys, I just feel kinda funny…"

"It looks like a shallow cut… if we're lucky whatever it is hasn't gotten into your bloodstream; but I don't want to take any chances. We'll get you to Don and have you looked at." Leo hoisted Mikey onto his back without another word, givin' me the nod for us to get goin' back to the lair. Tucking the blade into my belt, I was careful not to nick myself on the way back.

* * *

**Donatello's P.O.V.**

When I'd gotten to the lair with the girl tucked in my arms, the sound of the 10 o'clock news was the only indication of life. The subsequent click of the power button on the remote meant that Master Splinter knew one of us was back. That wasn't all that bad, though, as a little help would not be unwelcome. I made my way to the infirmary, via the living room, and tried not to feel guilty for the startled look on my father's face at the sight of us. "Master Splinter, I'm so sorry, I just, we were on patrol and—"

He held up a hand to stop me, his expression gone solemn as he took note of the injured girl in my arms. "Save the explanations for later, Donatello. Tell me what it is I must do to help."

I smiled weakly, clearing my throat. "J-just follow me to the infirmary… I'm not exactly sure how much blood she's lost but it's a fair amount…" I filled him in on the limited facts I had as we slipped into the infirmary. I laid the girl down gently on the make-shift examination table we had, finding myself brushing her hair out of her eyes once more. I tentatively lifted the elbow pad, relieved to find that the majority of the bleeding had stopped. "Alright, I'm going to need to clean this out… Master Splinter, can you please get the gauze and bandages? I have to keep the pressure here until it's fully stopped."

I could see his ear twitch slightly as he regarded the girl. He didn't make any comment; he just shuffled off to grab the items I asked for. He returned momentarily with the items I asked for, plus a small basin. Shrugging slightly, I fully removed the elbow pad – only to find that in this lighting there was a blue tint to her skin around the edges of the wound. I frowned at the strange coloring, wondering how it could have possibly gotten infected so early, especially since she'd been bleeding so heavily.

Master Splinter caught my expression, standing by the sink with the basin. With a slight twitch of his whiskers he asked, "What is the problem, Donatello?"

"It looks like she has an infection, Master Splinter. I don't see how it's possible, but… here, take a look for yourself."

He padded over quietly, inspecting the wound with gentle eyes. His nose then gave a slight twist, his face wrinkling in distaste. "This is not a natural wound, my son…" He placed a gentle paw over it, a shiver overtaking his whole body. "Whatever blade did this was poisoned. I do not think that this little one is unconscious due to blood loss…"

I felt my heart sink, looking down at the small form. Poisoned? There could be numerous possibilities with what she could have been poisoned with. Where was I supposed to start? Was it intended to kill her, or was it intended to subdue? I swallowed, weakly dabbing at the wound.

Then her eyes slowly blinked open. Master Splinter and I regarded each other in surprise as doe brown eyes widened, taking in the room around her. She tried to sit up, and I gently, but insistently pushed her back down. Her eye brows furrowed as she regarded us, but really, this must have been the tamest reaction in history to seeing a giant turtle and a giant rat. "**Ya naa lle? Manke naa amin? (2)**" Her questions, if that tone was anything to go by, were confident if surprisingly quiet, but once again, not in English.

I glanced at Master Splinter for the odd chance he might understand what she was saying-but no. He looked just as confused as I did. I cleared my throat, looking down at her uncertainly. For someone who had just woken up in a strange environment with strange creatures I would've thought she would be freaking out more; she just looked up at me expectantly, brown eyes unwaveringly calm. "Erm…. you probably can't understand me, but, we rescued you. You fell out of a portal with these snake guys, and you were hurt pretty badly…" I gestured slowly to her wound, hoping she would follow.

Her eyes followed my hand, and her already impossibly-large Bambi eyes widened further at the sight of her wound. She started to rifle through the pockets of her shredded dress. Strange that she wasn't panicking at the thought of a stranger ripping open her dress either, now that I thought about it. She retrieved a small pouch from who-knows-where, and slowly pulled out a small vial of a milky white substance. She held out to me insistently, eyes flickering pointedly between the vial and her wound.

"Perhaps that is the antidote for the poison that I spoke of," commented Master Splinter, his eyes firmly planted on the girl's face in speculation. I gave a small nod, popping open the vial. I gently poured a small amount of the odorless substance onto her wound, nearly jumping back when she gave a small shriek. Did I misinterpret what she wanted me to do? She was biting down on her lip forcefully, clutching at the shreds of her dress, but a small smile could be seen on the corner of her lips – out of appreciation, I'm hoping.

After a few seconds the milky white substance all but vanished, and all traces of blue around the wounds were gone. A few moments after that, color returned to her cheeks – making me think that perhaps it wasn't so much blood loss that had caused her to go cold. It was possible that not all the blood on her body was her own. Oddly, the thought filled me with a heavy sense of relief. I looked at her quietly again, making sure I had eye contact before I spoke. "I'm going to clean your wound fully now, okay?" I gestured to her wound once more.

She raised a small quizzical eye brow, but gave a slow nod as she looked between Master Splinter and me. A soft sigh escaped her lips, turning her head fully to the side to rest. I moved to the cabinets, grabbing the rest of the supplies I could possibly need, and when I returned, Master Splinter had stationed himself at the girl's head. The basin, now full of warm water, was set to the side as he took up a rag, gently dabbing the girl's face.

She jerked slightly at first in surprise, eyes widening at Master Splinter. I opened my mouth, about to suggest that perhaps that wasn't a good idea, but Master Splinter had reached out his hand, and started stroking her hair soothingly with his paw. The girl's Bambi eyes went half-lidded, and a dimpled smile overcame her features, her entire body relaxing once more as Master Splinter went about his work, cleaning her face from blood and dirt. I smiled despite myself. Of course Master Splinter knew best. I returned to my work, only barely catching her quiet, "**Diola lle. (3)**" The meaning was unmistakable.

* * *

**Donatello's P.O.V. -_Later_**

After her wound was wrapped, and Master Splinter had finished washing her face, he'd managed to talk/pantomime her into the kitchen, and was currently offering her a bowl of chicken soup. Literally seconds after the bowl had been set on the table, I could hear my brothers burst in through the doors of the lair. "Donnie!"

Flashing an apologetic smile at the girl, who looked slightly startled, I raced out to greet my brothers. "Guys! What happened?" I quickly glanced over them, checking for any glaringly obvious wounds that needed to be attended to. "Is everything ok?" I took a double-take at the sight of Mikey, who looked seriously ill as he rode atop Leo's back, eyes closed. "What happened to Mikey?"

"Poisoned, we think," replied Leo tersely. "He's gotten colder, paler, and is acting like he's border-line comatose."

"M'fine," interjected Mikey weakly.

A glistening dagger was thrust at my face, an extremely pissed Raph at the end of it. "All of their weapons were lined with this shit. We thought you could put it to use to whip an antidote or somethin'."

I cautiously took the blade, making a mental note to be extra careful with this one when I fully examined it later. "I already have an antidote, if it's the same poison that the girl was infected with."

"Wait, wait, they poisoned the kid too?" asked Raphael hotly, his anger ready to fully boil over. Looks like his punching bag would not be spared tonight.

"Yes, but it seems like she was carrying around an antidote. I have some leftover." We all made haste to the infirmary, and as Leo gently set down Mikey I set to work rifling through my equipment for the vial. I quickly made over to Mikey with vial in tow, and spotted the offending wound. Curiously, his wound was tinted with spots of red around its edges instead of blue, but that there was no time for speculation now. "Hang on, this might sting," I warned gently, pouring an even smaller amount upon his cut.

Besides having to swallow down a girly shriek, Mikey managed the pain well enough as the antidote did its work. The red spots were gone soon enough. I exhaled slowly, exchanging relieved glances with my other two brothers. Rubbing his arm with a slight frown, Mikey shook his head before giving me his dopiest grin. "Can I get a band-aid?"

I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to smack him upside the head. "Yeah. He's fine now."

"So is the girl okay?" asked Leo, arms folding across his chest in his usual post-mission stance.

I gave a nod. "She didn't lose as much blood as we originally thought. It's probable that the reason she passed out was due to the poison, not the blood loss. She had a small injury on her head but it's already clotted, and the cut on her arm was easily treatable."

He gave a thoughtful nod, making his usual 'hum' sound. "And she's woken up, I'm assuming, since she was able to show you the antidote."

"She did. She seems fine and didn't really show any fear when she woke up to seeing me and Master Splinter."

"Well that's gotta be a first, right?" grinned Mikey, rocking back in forth in place.

"Right. But she doesn't speak English, or understand it. From what I can tell, she speaks the same language as those snake-guys. What happened with them anyway?"

It was Raph that answered in a low grumble, "They ran off. Got away scott free. The scaly bastards."

"They were trained," supplied Leo helpfully. "They knew how to fight, but more than that, I think they were surprised at actually having to work for their victory." I nodded, taking it all in to mull over later. "But, I think the main question for the moment is, what do we do about the girl?"

"She could stay with us! I mean, if she doesn't know English, she's hardly gonna be able to make her way around here, is she? And did you see that getup she was wearing? It was like something right out of a Medieval film!"

"That, and she's not human," I interjected calmly. They all regarded me in surprise, but in the end I think we all knew that wouldn't be the case. "I mean, she looks a lot like one, except her ears. They're pointed—"

"Like an elf?" asked-_squealed_- Mikey excitedly, his baby blue eyes lighting up.

I eyed him with a slight frown for stealing my thunder, but conceded with a nod. "Like an elf."

"Awesooooooooome."

I glanced at Leo, trying to infer what his opinion on the matter was, but to my delight he agreed with me. "You're right. We could hardly kick her out and leave her stranded in Manhattan. If possible, I'd like to find out how she and those other four got here, but with the language barrier that's probably nigh impossible."

"Nigh? Who says 'nigh' anyway—OW!"

"Shaddup."

I smirked in amusement. Raph obviously wasn't all that worried about Mikey anymore if he was aiming swats at the back of his head. Coughing, I returned my attention to Leo. "If worse comes to worse and we can't make a break-through, we could always try to contact the Daimyo and see if he can find someone across the multiverse who can understand her and bring her home, right? But I think after the craziness of tonight she deserves a rest… I mean, you know. Assuming she wants to stay with us."

He gave me an odd look that I wasn't sure what to make of, but gave his signature nod of approval. "That sounds good, Donnie. Don't suppose you got her name or anything?"

"Not so much." I smiled ruefully.

"Where is the kid anyway?" asked Raph coolly, acting as if he didn't have a soft spot for kids and as if he didn't _really_ want to see for himself that she was alright.

"In the kitchen. Master Splinter was getting her some soup—" Before I could finish the sentence, Mikey and Raph were both out the door. Leo gave a small chuckle, walking over to stand beside me. I looked at him tentatively, clearing my throat. "By the way, uhm, I think we're going to need to get April to let us borrow some of her clothes…"

Oh no. I did NOT like the look on his face; or the whole eye-brow-raised-judging-you thing he had going on. "I had to rip her dress up to bandage her up. So sue me. Regardless, she needs clothes she can change into if she wants to wash up—_why _are you looking at me like that?"

* * *

**A/N: So it turns out Donatello actually has a lot to say. He's been very chatty and he's wrangled quite a few P.O.V.'s that I was originally going to give to other people. Thus his addition as the Main Character of this story, even though all of boys are equally important. But who am I to deny my favorite, geeky, awkward turtle boy his stardom? Reviews are love and huggles and super-sized turtle plushies. Leave any comments, complaints, or constructive criticisms you have there! :3**

**(1): Come, now! (2): Who are you? Where am I? (3): Thank you.  
**

_Creoso a'baramin_ means "Welcome to my dwelling"


	3. Mae govannen

**Disclaimer: **_Still don't own the Ninja Turtles - but I am working on it, I promise. _

_Thank you to_ **ninja-warrior101 **_and_ **BubblyShell22** _for leaving reviews and advice! You guys have no idea how happy reading those reviews made me. And as per_ **BubblyShell22**'s _suggestion, at the end of each chapter there are now translations so that you guys can be in the loop in a way that our favorite boys are not.  
_

_So without further ado, here we go.  
_

* * *

**Master Splinter's P.O.V.**

It seems that my wish for a peaceful night was going to be granted after all. My sons, after some leftover pizza and cans of soda, had freely opened up about the evening's events. The tale was a strange one indeed, and the description of snake-men struck a chord back in the far reaches of my mind. I had heard of them before, but I could not remember where.

It was a similar case with the girl Donatello had brought in. Even before he had explained that she was not human it had been clear she was not from this world. She also seemed vaguely familiar, but my old mind was not willing to come forth with the reasons for such. So I watched her carefully now from my armchair.

We'd called for Ms. O'Neil to come by with some of her smaller clothes, promising that we would explain when she arrived. While we waited, Leonardo had retreated to his room to meditate, and Raphael had lost himself to the rhythm of fists against a punching bag. Michelangelo, however, thought it was paramount to show our guest the wonders of the modern video game. He had somehow manipulated Donatello into playing with him, but it was all for the best. The girl was seated quietly between them, brown eyes calmly taking in the violent action on the screen, and the two terrapin teenagers on either side of her.

She was a small pale-skinned girl, barely reaching five feet, but her round, curvy face and frame suggested that she was in her mid-teens. After her face had been cleaned I'd been able to see her freckles, and a mouth that was clearly more prone to smiling and laughter than frowning. There was only a hint of such a smile as she watched my two boys, hands folded in her lap, and her long blonde hair pooled around her waist as she sat.

The end of the game was signified by Michelangelo's victorious cry and the simultaneous groan from Donatello. I watched the girl glance between them, her smile reaching to her dimples as she giggled softly. A small, contemplative furrow in her eye brows took place, and she said quietly, "**Gaelle.**"

Both Donatello and Michelangelo paused from their game selection to regard her. "Say what, little dudette?" asked Michelangelo, tilting his head in a child-like motion.

She glanced at the two of them, pointing at herself. "**Gaelle.**"

"Dude, do you think that's her name?" asked Michelangelo curiously, looking down at the petite girl.

"I think so…" Don bit his lip slightly, pointing at the girl. "Gaelle?"

Her brown eyes visibly lit up as she nodded, now pointing at him and Michelangelo. "**Mani naa essa en lle? (1)**"

If he didn't stop grinning so hard, Michelangelo's face was surely going to crumple in half. He pointed at himself excitedly, stating solemnly "Michelangelo" He then pointed at Donatello. "Donatello." She raised her eye brows in response, but repeated the names, pointing at their respective owners.

Michelangelo grinned even harder, selecting the next game on their screen. "Oh, this is so cool… It's like a total Tarzan moment!"

I watched in amusement as Donatello's expression straightened, with a mischievous curl stubbornly hanging on the edge of his lip. "So, does that mean you're likening us to Tarzan, or to Jane?"

* * *

**April O'Neil's P.O.V.  
**

Some of the guys' requests for favors in the past have been pretty strange, and while this may not have taken the whole cake, it cut out a fairly neat spot on the Top 20 list. After all, they'd asked me to get clothes for them before, usually for some sort of elaborate ruse that involved disguises, but they'd never asked for my clothes _specifically_. Clothing that was too small for me at that. Like I said: strange.

Bag of said clothing in tow, I went through the door to the lair, amused but unsurprised to hear to hear the cries of animated warriors coming from the den. The noise quickly died down even before I took my first step toward the room, and I could hear, "We're in here, April!" I felt my lips quirk in amusement. Even wrapped up in whatever game they were playing, of course they'd noticed me coming in.

"Hey guys! I brought the clothes you asked for…" my feet began pedaling toward the door as I answered their call. I came to a stop in the door frame though, laying eyes on what could only be the reason that the guys had called me up. There was a short blonde girl seated on the couch between Mikey and Don, her eyes catching mine as she noticed my entrance. "Oh."

Don got to his feet, quickly crossing the room. "Hi April! Thanks for coming so quickly, I know we didn't really give you a lot of notice…"

"No problem," I answered easily, still distracted by the girl who was sitting calmly beside Mikey. "You guys going to tell me what's going on, exactly?"

"Well it's a bit of a long story but—"

"Pretty much one of those portal things opened up during our run, and next thing we knew, this girl and some freaky snake guys had popped out, right? They were all ganging up on her so we stepped in, saved her, and here we are!"

I raised an eye brow, eying Mikey and his ridiculously ecstatic grin. Don was nodding slowly, so that sounded like the gist of it. I'd ask for more details later. The girl continued to watch us silently.

"She'd been hurt pretty badly, and, as you can see I kinda had to rip up her dress so I could make temporary bandages. So, thus the need for some clothes."

I nodded quietly, and made my way over to her, dropping down onto the balls of my feet. I offered a gentle smile, and slowly took her hand. She didn't resist, her brown eyes tracking my cautious movement before snapping back up to my face with acute alertness. "Hey. What's your name?

"Oh, uhm, she doesn't speak English, April, and she's not human either" interjected Mikey awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "But we're thinking her name is Gaelle. We kinda had a whole hand-to-heart Tarzan moment where we introduced each other."

My eye brows furrowed. "She doesn't speak English?"

"Not from what we can tell," said Donnie quietly.

I bit my lip, looking back up at her round freckled face, and widened my smile slightly, hoping to come across as inviting. "Gaelle?" Blinking slightly, she gave a slow nod, the corners of her lips twitching upward. I pointed at myself solemnly with my free hand. "April." Her forehead pulled down slightly, a slight frown curling her lips, but nodded.

She raised her left hand gently, pointing at me – her face the epitome of seriousness. "**April.**" I smiled, pushing down the sense of giddiness that rose up in my chest. I looked over her once more, and found my smile dimming slightly at the grime and dried blood coating her body and sticking in her hair. She was filthy.

I looked back at Master Splinter, who'd been watching from his armchair the entire time. "I really don't want to push any boundaries here or freak her out, but she's extremely dirty. She should probably get washed up before she changes into any new clothing." He was a father; he'd know how to handle this situation, right?

Instead I was given an expression torn between amusement and discomfort. "You are right, Miss O'Neil. However, you have hit the metaphorical nail on the head. Considering the language barrier, I am not sure that any attempts to help her bathe would be appreciated. Of course, as a female, you might have an easier time easing her into the situation."

I gave a slight nod, returning my gaze to Gaelle's intent expression. I was keenly aware of the attentiveness on both Mikey and Don's faces; interest that quickly turned to exaggerated disinterest when I looked at them. Boys will be boys. I gave a small chuckle, and got to my feet. I gently pulled Gaelle to her feet as well, keeping my movements slow and within her sight.

"Our, uhm, bathroom is—"

"I know where your guys' bathroom is, Donnie" I responded chidingly, not missing the embarrassed flush on his face as he scuttled out of the room to busy himself. Gaelle followed his movement in her brown eyes, but they quickly returned to me. I inhaled heavily, and began to lead her up the stairs and to the bathroom. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter, I know. Sorry about that. There were only so many ways I could break up this section of the story, and this was the only way I liked. If I have time later today, I'll put up the next section, but... well. Real Life. It gets in the way. Reviews have now transformed into chocolates and puppy cuddles because I'm kind of hungry and that's what I'm in the mood for. Just leave your 4C's (Comments, complaints, and constructive critics ms) there if it strikes your fancy. Thanks for reading!**

**(1): _What are your names__?_**

_Mae govannen _means "Well met"**_  
_**


	4. Amin merna quen

**Disclaimer:** _Still don't own the Ninja Turtles or their affiliates. No process has been made on the matter either, unfortunately... Anyhow, this chapter, well, April and Casey ended up taking more story slots than I were expecting. And Casey? Well, I've been having a hard time setting his writing apart from Raph's. Some hints in regards to that might help. Oh and by way, for clarification sake if you've read this far, this is set two years after the 2003 cartoon, when the boys are 17, so everything that has happened there has already happened (except for the Ninja Tribunal Arc, TMNT: Fast Forward, and Back to the Sewers because I am picky and disliked those.)  
_

_Thanks again to_ **ninjawarrior101 **_and _**BubblyShell22 **_for reviews. :3 Makes a girl happy inside._

(Rated T for Casey's potty mouth and uncouth thoughts, and for some non-explicit nudity)_  
_

* * *

**Casey Jone's P.O.V.  
**

It had been a night like any other. Well except for that flash of blue light I'd seen for about a split-second, but I hadn't seen nothin' suspicious for me to follow up on it, so I'd written it off. I'd been doin' my usual rounds on the blocks around me an' April's place doin'… ya know… the usual. I'd already busted two muggings in the last hour, and I'd been about ready to call it for the night, when I heard the familiar sounds of some sniggering morons in the alley-way below me. Third time's a charm, I guess.

Adjusting my mask, an' keepin' one arm on my hockey stick, I made my way down the fire escape. The light comin' in from the street to illuminate the alley way showed three punks sleazing up to some dame in a… what would you call it? It looked like some of the dresses I'd seen at the Renaissance Faire April had pointed out. I couldn't hear what was bein' said, but those grabby hands on the sleazebags spoke louder than words anyhow.

I quickened my ascent down the stairs, ready to beat the shit out of the punks, when the girl they were cornering _moved_. A dagger was in her hand, pulled out of hell knows where, and she'd already gutted the punk closest to groping her. Whoah. I settled down slightly, scratching my head as she continued her dance or whatever, shoving the guy to the side and moving onto her next shocked target. Was I supposed to be helpin' her, or these assholes?

The point became moot when one of the guys managed to knock the dagger out of her hands, screaming in her face as he grabbed her wrist – hand drawn back into a fist. Hell if I was gonna let 'im hit a lady! I leapt from my perch, trusty hockey stick in hand, crying, "Goongala!" and landin' the next few feet with ease. The bastard holdin' the girl turned to look at me, and I took the opportunity to introduce him to my stick: up close an' personal.

He stumbled back, shriekin' even more about how he was the wrong kinda person to mess with an' the usual shit, so I shut him up with a one-way ticket to dreamland; personal escort from my hockey stick. The fourth guy was runnin' fer his life, an' I decided to let 'im off.

"Hey, so—" I had turned to see if the girl was okay, but apparently she was faster than she looked. She'd reclaimed her dagger, and was now pointing it at my jugular vein. I swallowed, tucking the hockey stick into my golf bag, and raised my hands in surrender.

I was all set to explain myself, an' demand why she was turnin' on me after I'd clearly helped her out, but I was hit with a barrage of, "**Ya naa lle? Mankoi lle uma tanya? Manke ****_naa _****amin? Mani uma lle merna— (1)**"

I did not understand a single frickin' thing she was sayin'. "Whoah, whoah, lady! Slow down! Are you even speakin' English?"

Her eyes, now visibly amber, widened ever so slightly, before narrowing once again. "…English. You speak English?" She withdrew the dagger slightly, eying me in suspicion. The words were familiar, but her voice had a strange unearthly lilt to it.

"Uhm, yeah. Most everybody here does. 'Cept in Chinatown—"

I found the dagger being thrust back in my face, halting me mid-sentence. "Where am I, stranger?"

The hell? Was she serious? I looked at her, ready to crack a joke, but her expression was so solemn she could easily compete with Leo. "Erm… Manhattan, New York."

Her eyes widened once more, and the dagger came away from my face. I could practically hear the breath freeze in her throat. "**Ed' Alestrial**… **(2)**" she muttered, tucking her dagger back into her—holy shit, she hid that thing in her breasts? I swallowed, pointedly looking away. April would be damn proud of me. Her eye brow raised, followed by what sounded like an amused snort. "So I am on Earth? Within the United States?"

I had a hard time believing she was for real. "Uh, yeah, last time I checked…" she shook her head slightly, tucking her hair behind her ears and—alright, seriously. Could this night get any weirder? Her ears were pointed. Like the goddamn elves from the _Lord of the Rings_ series. Though, if she wasn't human, that would explain quite a lot.

"I see. I am sorry for threatening you. I owe you a great debt for assisting me. But… perhaps I could ask for one more favor?"

Looking at her again, she seemed far different from the vicious warrior I'd seen a few moments ago; instead resembling a frazzled, tired and overwhelmed woman. "Erm… what kind of favor?"

"I am looking for my cousins. Gaelle, Cassian, and Ira. I am unsure if they are in this place, but they are not as familiar with Earth as I am, and if they ARE here they are not going to be able to take care of themselves. I need to find them."

I swallowed, regarding her a moment. "These cousins of yours… they like you?" I gestured lamely to her ear, hoping she'd get my point.

She blinked slightly, following the direction of my hand, and felt the tip of her ear. She gave a slow sigh, brushing her hair back in front of them once again. "They are. Which is why I must find them. Can you help me?"

I stood there a moment, debating. I couldn't let her go off on her own…. If it'd been one of the guys missing, me an' April would be out of our heads with worry. An' if the others were like her, then she definitely would not want to get the police involved. It sounded like she didn't even know where to start. I sighed, nodding. "I can damn well try. I'll take ya back to my place. I'll talk to my girl-friend an' see what we can do, alright?"

She blinked at me, before her face exploded into a huge, appreciative smile. Well damn. She was gorgeous. I hoped April wasn't gonna kill me for this. I took a few minutes to take care of the guys, makin' sure the ones that'd been stabbed were somewhere where the police could get to them and get them medical attention, an' then climbed up the fire escape back onto the roof. "By the way, my name's Casey Jones. Nice to meet ya." I lifted up my hockey mask, shooting her a grin.

She eyed me curiously before returning with a smile of her own. "Well met indeed. My name is Enola Faradome."

* * *

**April O'Neil's P.O.V.**

Surprisingly, Gaelle didn't freak out. Well, as much as I'd expected her to. I'd pantomimed the idea of her washing, which she took in stride-until I'd turned on the water to the bathtub for her when she'd only stared at it in confusion. She'd jumped, stumbling back onto the toilet, and given the tub the evil eye from her perch.

I slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, because that was really the last thing she probably needed right now. A few moments later, her shock faded and intense curiosity replaced the look, and she'd gone over to the side of the bathtub, peering inside. She smiled slightly, sticking her hand into the water, but recoiled, growling. "**A! Tanya awra! (3)**" I smiled sheepishly, turning the dial.

"Too hot, I'm guessing? Sorry about that…" I continued to let the water run, and as she watched, I grabbed the bag, fishing out the most suitable pajama clothes I could find; a pair of sweatpants that I'd outgrown, and a loose-fitting T-shirt. I looked at her, only to find she was eying the pair of pants dubiously. "What? They're comfortable." She gave a slight smile, her eyes flicking upward in the familiar gesture of an eye roll at my indignant tone.

I set them aside, and fished through the bag once more, glad that I'd decided to risk bringing some of the intimates I'd tried on but never really worn. Setting those aside as well, I grabbed a bottle of Mikey's bubble bath – he was the only one who ever used it -, and poured a fair amount into the water.

I chuckled to myself as Gaelle gave a small gasp of delight, watching the bubbles form. I stopped the water after a bit, and after testing the water myself, I pantomimed her stripping out of her clothing and climbing into the bathtub. She looked at me for a few moments before nodding. I turned; ready to leave to give her some privacy, but the sound of shuffles across tile signaled that she wasn't the shy type. She then made a disconcerted sound, and I felt her tugging on my arm. "**Lirimaer, lle anta amin? (4)**"

I blinked, turning to see her standing completely naked in front of me save for the heavy bandage circling around her torso. Oh. I frowned at the sight of it, a reminder that this young girl had seen battle and had come out for worse on the other side of it. If she was careful, she could avoid getting it wet. And if not, Don could easily change it. I gave her a smile, shaking my head. "It's fine." I made a waving gesture with my hand toward the tub.

Her lips puckered into a small frown, glancing between me and the bandage, but climbed into the bathtub regardless. She gave a giggle as the bubbles pooled around her; clinging to her breasts and sides, climbing up into her long blonde hair. I admit my heart warmed at the childish delight on her face as she poked at the bubbles. I chuckled, getting to my knees beside the bathtub, and picked up a loofah, and scrubbed her arm gently, hoping she would get the point.

She caught on fairly quickly, taking the loofah and beginning to work on removing the blood and dirt from her body. I grinned to myself, cupping some water with my hands, and gently poured it over her head, darkening her blonde hair. She shuddered at the contact, but offered me a reassuring nod before she resumed cleaning herself.

I continued the process, careful not to drip directly onto her bandage, until the whole length of her hair was wet. By the time I'd grabbed the shampoo, she'd finished scrubbing herself and was watching with avid curiosity as I worked the shampoo into her hair. Her freckled face scrunched when my fingers crossed the injury on her head, but she recovered easily enough.

It was when her giggles grew quiet that I started to worry. I'd just finished rinsing the shampoo out of her hair when I'd noticed that her shoulders had started trembling. "Gaelle?" The bathroom was practically silent, only the faint sounds of more senseless animated violence audible beyond the door; her shaky breaths were all but deafening. "Gaelle, are you alright?"

She looked at me, and I was startled to see that instead of her usual Bambi brown eyes staring at me, there was a melancholy blue glow surrounding her pupil. "**Amin hiraetha. Amin dele ten' melloneamin, amin n'rangwa lle quen… amin caela n'noa** **manke amin naa! (5)**" I just swallowed, having no idea what was being said, or what to say. The look of defeat and helplessness pulled heavily on her forehead and her smiling lips – the blue surrounding her eyes only darkening.

"I…I'm sorry… I don't know…" I swallowed, stopping myself. I slipped an arm around her shoulders, placing a gentle kiss in an attempt to soothe her. I watched her inhale, biting down on her lip. The lump in her throat bobbed up and down, and I knew that what she needed was to cry. I just hugged her tighter, never-minding the awkwardness as I stroked her back gently, trying to project as much comfort and support into my voice as could when I spoke, "It's alright, honey… just let it out, okay…?"

Language barrier notwithstanding, she did as I asked. I'm not quite sure what saddened me more: the intensity of her tears, the power of them racking her small body, or the controlled, silenced breaths from which they came.

* * *

**Casey Jone's P.O.V.**

The walk back had been pretty quiet except for her occasional questions. For the most part, they'd been pretty damn out of the blue. "Do you know how far away San Antonio, Texas is in relevance to our location?" an' "Do you have electricity and running water? An' even, "What do you call that… stick, you use as a weapon?"

Questions an' answers aside, it was quiet… well if ya considered walking around the rooftops of Manhattan surrounded by nighttime traffic quiet. I felt like I ought to talk to 'er, but I didn't wanna scare her off. April's said often enough times, well, she ain't so much as said as she's sighed an' huffed an' rolled her eyes, that I ain't the best conversationalist.

I led her down the fire escape, slipping in through the window into our apartment. April usually preferred it if I didn't come in from 'playing vigilante' through the front door. I motioned for Enola to follow me in. Her eyes narrowed slightly at me, but she didn't comment as she climbed in.

I crossed the living room, unstrapping my golf bag and tossin' it at the closet door. "April? Babe?" I frowned a bit when I didn't get a response. I didn't hear the shower water runnin', and I was pretty sure she said she didn't work tonight. I spotted a neon green sticky note on the coffee table, and bent down to pick it up. It read: _Hey honey. The guys called and said they needed a favor, so if I'm not here when you get back I'm probably still with them. There are leftovers in the fridge, just in case, but I don't think I'll be staying that long. Give me a call if anything comes up. Love you!_

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding, grinnin' to myself like an idiot. I crumpled it up, tossing it into the trash bin. I turned, ready to grab a beer and settle down on the couch when I saw Enola, standing quietly in the doorframe of the kitchen. Oh. Right. "Erm…. you need anythin' to drink? Or, uh, eat?"

I watched her bite her lip, and recognized the expression on her face as somethin' on the forefront of an inner conflict. "Well…" The turtles, Raph and Leo in particular, could repress like no other. I knew the shit when I saw it.

"It ain't a bother, if that's what you're about to say." I shook my head, brushing past her and into the kitchen, opening up the fridge. I grabbed myself a beer, coz' hell if I wasn't going to get some alcohol in my system after a night like this. "We got, ah… we got leftover Chinese takeout, if yer into that."

"Any sustenance is fully appreciated."

No, seriously. Who talks like that? I shrugged, grabbing the box, and closed the door with my foot. "If you look in the top right cupboard there should be some plates. An' to the left of that is cups if yer wanting anythin' to drink."

I could hear soft clinks behind me as I set down the takeout, eying the phone. I should probably call her sooner than later, right? I huffed, prying off the cap of my beer with my teeth, and walked over to the phone. "Make yourself at home, alright? I'm gonna call April an' let her know what's happenin', alright?"

"Of course. It is better to inform your significant other of the presence of a strange woman in your house before she comes home and finds out herself without prior warning, yes?" I turned, eying her wry grin and raised eye brow with a huff. Sassy broad.

"Cute. Don't forget I'm helpin' you out, chick," I grumbled, picking up the phone and dialing April's cell number – ignoring her soft chuckles. Figures that freaky elf women would have a cynical sense of humor.

"I am not forgetting it. Regardless, you are not my 'type', as it is put." She had a type? Of course she did. Hell, I was getting' side-tracked. I growled, carrying the phone out into the living room, an' hoped April would pick up soon

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the whole bath scene. I'm a sucker for mother/sisterly April and that one just slipped out before I could reign it back in. But, with the introduction of Enola, things should hopefully get cleared up for our boys sometime soon! Reviews are now rainbows and pudding, and everything wonderful. Leave your 4C's there if you feel up to it. :) Thanks for reading!  
**

**(1): _Who are you? Why did you do that? Where _am_ I? What do you want-_ (2): _By Alestrial..._ (3): _Ah! That hurt!_ (4): _Lovely one, will you help me? _(5) : _I'm sorry. I am worried about them, I do not understand you... I have no idea where I am!_  
**

_Amin merna quen _means "I wish to speak."


	5. Kwentra lye i'narn

**Disclaimer: **_I still do not own the Ninja Turtles. I am hoping that this is clear at this point, so I'm going to stop putting up this Disclaimer, because I am starting to sound like a broken record. So from this moment onward, consider this your blanket-layer Disclaimer._

_In other news, thank you_ **ninjawarrior101 **_for reviewing, and special thanks to my friend _**senecka **_for both reviewing, and for **beta-ing** this chapter! Go forth and shower her with love as well - she is a lovely person, and has her own story you ought to view. _

_This chapter is a little longer than the usual, so think of it as a make-up gift for the shortness of the 3rd chapter. So, without further ado, here we go!  
_

* * *

**April O'Neil's P.O.V.**

We came back down after Gaelle had finished washing and had calmed down; finding that instead of virtual fighters duking it out on the screen, _Tarzan _was playing. I smiled slightly. I guess Mikey had really gotten into the hype after his so-called "Tarzan" moment.

Coming down the stairs fully, I could see Mikey, Don, Leo _and _Raph had all taken seats around the entertainment center, and were fully invested in the film – popcorn and various other snacks being passed around. My lips curled, chuckling. Oh this was good.

Mikey was the first to spot us when we reached their level, waving with his usual wide face-splitting grin. "Hey guys! We, well,_ I_ figured that Disney would be a great chill-down film. I mean, I even set the language to Spanish so that none of us could understand what was going on either! Well, except for Leo, but he's special."

I could see Leo's mouth twitch slightly in response, but he didn't comment. I smiled as Gaelle walked over tentatively to the couch, eyes glued to the screen. "You're going to corrupt her, Mikey," I chided lightly, walking over to the armchair that was no longer occupied by Master Splinter. He'd probably turned in for the night. What time was it anyway? I took out my cell phone, blinking. It was already 11:30? I hoped Casey got the note I left.

It was then that my phone started going off. Leo and Raph glanced up for a moment to locate the sound, but then quickly returned to watching the TV when they saw me fumbling to answer it. I quickly stepped into the kitchen, pressing SEND. "Hello?"

"Babe? It's Casey…"

I breathed out, chuckling. "Oh, hey honey. Is everything going ok? You got my note, right?"

"Yeah, I got yer note. Look, babe, ah, somethin' kinda happened—"

"What? Are you hurt? Do I need to come up?" I exclaimed.

"No, not anythin' like that! It's just, ah, I was doin' my usual patrol and stuff… an' I came across this lady bein' mugged…"

My eye brows rose, crossing my arm over my chest. "And?"

"No, it wasn't like that either! We got rid of the punks an'… but, oh. That ain't the point. Ya see, she, ah, she ain't human. Well, she could pass for one, but she ain't. An she's lookin' fer her relatives. She said they ain't been on Earth before, an' that they'd be in trouble unless she could find 'em."

I blinked, loosening the arm across my chest. "Well, that's a coincidence. The guys found a girl earlier being attacked. She wasn't human either, in fact, she doesn't even speak English."

"Oh? Well, uh, two of Enola's cousins are girls—wait, what?" There came a pause, and I could hear a distinctly feminine voice saying something over on the other line "Huh. My bad. Only one girl cousin'. An' she says that her name's Gaelle."

My eyes widened, opening my mouth. "This Gaelle… is she about five feet tall? Pale with long blonde hair and freckles? Pointed ears like an elf?"

"She's got elf ears too, huh? Here, lemme ask…" I waited once more, and a shriek erupted from the line, causing me to nearly drop my phone.

"Casey?"

"…apparently that's _exactly_ what she looks like," replied Casey roughly, his voice both shocked and irritated. "So, she down there with the guys still?"

"Yes. In fact she's watching _Tarzan_ with them at this moment."

"Well damn. Alright, ah, you wanna bring her up to us or should we come down to you?"

"I think you ought to bring her down. I think the guys will be happy to have someone translate an explanation for them. The way that Gaelle got here, was, well, pretty far-fetched."

"Ain't it always? Well alright, I'll bring 'er down. See ya soon, babe. Love ya."

"Don't call me babe," I responded without any real force behind the words. "Love you too, you big lug." I hung up, grinning to myself, and raced back into the room. "Hey guys, guess what?"

Five pairs of eyes snapped to my face, nearly making me take a step back. I chuckled nonetheless, waving my phone. "Casey just called. Apparently, he stumbled across Gaelle's cousin: Enola."

Just like that Gaelle's eyes widened, a huge smile overtaking her features. "**Enola? Manke naa re? Re nauva tula? (1)**" The boys all looked at each other, eye brows raised. I sighed, waiting for her to calm down and remember that none of us could understand a word she was saying.

She swallowed, looking around her sheepishly, and ducked her head slightly before glancing up at me again. "**Enola?**" I smiled, giving a nod, patting her knee gently.

"And she speaks English?" asked Leo curiously, leaning forward slightly from his seat.

"Apparently. Casey saved her from a mugging, and she told him about needing to find Gaelle and two other cousins."

"Wait there's two more of them?

I gave him a quiet nod. "As far as we know. However, if that is the case, Enola said they haven't been to Earth before…"

"Meaning that they need to found them before creep like Bishop does, right?" responded Mikey, gulping audibly at the thought.

Don said thoughtfully, "Well, with new information pending, we could probably lend a hand in the search, right?" They all nodded firmly in response without a moment's pause for reconsideration. I smiled proudly. All four of them were always so eager to help others, even when time and time again they themselves were handed the short end of the stick.

Gaelle herself made no further comment, just settling back into her spot comfortably between Mikey and Don – unaware of the unofficial pledge the boys had just made to find her family. I sighed, shaking my head as I claimed the spot on the other side of Don. I patted his hand, smiling slightly, and nodded toward Gaelle, who had curled up against his shell; looking quite comfortable and at ease.

He looked at me uncertainly, intelligent dark brown eyes scanning me for a brief moment before he looked where I was hinting at. I could have sworn he blushed for a brief second before looking back at me, wide-eyed with a sweetly awkward smile on his face. I chuckled, resting my head on his shoulder, and turned to watch the screen. Jane had just made her first appearance on the screen, and I could hear Mikey muttering to himself excitedly between mouthfuls of popcrorn.

Huh. I guess he was kind of right earlier. If I squinted I could see the parallels he had drawn between the story of _Tarzan _and our current situation; but did that make the guys and I Tarzan, or Jane?

* * *

**Michelangelo's P.O.V.**

We'd heard Casey come in long before he actually, ya know, called out to let us know he'd come in. Love the guy, but subtlety was just not the dude's strong point. So the only real surprise we had was when he walked into the room with a _banging hot_ chick. Like, the kind of banging hot that looked like it had waltzed right out of the _special_ magazines Raphie-boy hid under his mattress. Leo got to his feet gracefully and _respectfully_, the jerk, while I shot up like I'd been shocked. Only my amazing ninja abilities and natural sense of balance saved me from falling flat on my face.

The chick had dark brown hair, almost black, that came down to her shoulders and amber – legitimate amber – eyes. She had a definite Hispanic look about her, but she was definitely taller than us. The writer in me really wanted to find some kind of eloquent way to put it, but she was freakin' curvy. Like, in only the right places. It was ridiculous. Even with her dress ripped an' stained with blood and other gross stuff, she was attractive. It HAS to be an alien elf thing... no one in existence is that good looking while covered in guts and gore. Well, maybe Emma Stone but—

Oh. Crap. I finally noticed that she was looking right at me, a very elf-like 'not amused' expression on her face. Had I been staring? Shell. Abort, abort.

Casey cleared his throat, probably noticing the less-than-gracious expression on April's face, and the erm, distracted gazes from my brothers. "Uhm, guys, this is Enola…"

She gave a slow nod, her eyes raking over us, mostly me, in an overwhelmingly self-assured gaze. "Well met." I watched her gaze soften upon seeing Gaelle, who had dozed off against Don's shell. I beamed, guessing how excited she'd be at seeing her cousin. Enola walked right past me, squatting down in front of her with a gentle smile, and placed her hand on Gaelle's knee, squeezing gently. "**Gaelle? Naa lle sinome? (2)**"

Her eyes opened slowly, still hazy from sleep as they locked onto Enola's face. She blinked slightly, eye brows furrowing for a moment before they flew up on her forehead. Her eyes widened, and I could've sworn that instead of brown, a bright yellow surrounded her pupils as she hurtled herself forward, wrapping her arms around Enola's neck, taking them both to the ground with a squeal of delight. "**Enola! Lle naa sinome! Cormamin lindua ele lle! (3)" **

I kinda zoned out while their conversation went on, just getting lost in the flood of foreign words. While I couldn't understand anything they were saying, I could tell that they were incredibly happy and excited, and I found a dorky grin making its way onto my face. Everyone else was smiling too. Even Raph… though his smile kinda looked like a half-baked, toothy shark grin. He really needed to work on the non-scary smiling thing.

I don't know how long they talked, though at some point Casey and April had excused themselves to have a couple-y chat. Said chat probably consisted of Casey explaining himself to April and apologizing profusely. It's not like he did anything wrong, but the guy was always trying so hard to make sure April was happy. You really had to admire the dude for it, even if he went overboard on occasion.

Enola and Gaelle finally got up from where they'd been seated, Gaelle clutching her like a security blanket even as a huge smile lit up her face. Enola then turned to look right at Leo – ok, how did people automatically know he was the leader? It wasn't like it wasn't stamped on his forehead. Scratch that. It was probably some way he 'held himself', or the 'aura' he gave off or some sickeningly poetic thing like that. Oops. They were talking seriously now.

"I cannot thank you enough for this deed. All of you," her gaze swept over us, much friendlier this time around. "Gaelle says she surely would have perished had you four not come to her aid. And for that, we are indebted to you. However, we do not have much to offer you…"

"How about an explanation?" asked Leo, using his reasonable tone. I straightened slightly, noticing my other brothers doing likewise. Yes, an explanation would be nice.

Enola leaned down, translating, I'm assuming, in Gaelle's ear. The smaller girl looked at us for a brief moment before looking back up at Enola with a nod, which combined with her expression, looked eerily similar Leo's "Go Ahead" signal. Interesting.

"Is there another room you and your lieutenants would prefer to use? For confidentiality purposes?" My eye brows shot up. People assumed a lot of things about us, but a captain and his lieutenants? That was a new one.

Leo's eye brow rose, and he shook his head. "My _brothers_ and I," he subtly clarified, "have no wish to keep anything from our friends. Whatever you tell us, they can hear as well. Here is just fine."

A fine eye brow quirked in response but she conceded. She sighed heavily, and I knew this was going to be a long story. I took back my seat, propping my chin on my hands. Leo also took his seat, and, being the paragon of posture, sat upright with his hands resting on his thighs. Don was fidgeting with his hands, curled up next to the couch arm. Raph was slouched back as per usual, but his shoulders were angled toward Gaelle and Enola, an indication that he was intent and listening.

Casey and April slipped back inside, and managed to squeeze their way onto the couch without saying a word. In fact, the only person missing was Master Splinter—wait, what the shell? I looked at Master Splinter's armchair, expecting to see empty air, but he was settled down quite comfortably, looking intently at Enola and Gaelle. How did he-? Nope. Not even gonna ask. He probably woke up to the noise and snuck in without saying a word, and we were all so distracted we didn't even notice. Well, that and he didn't get the title 'Master' for being wise and furry. Distracted by the awesomeness that is my dad, I almost didn't catch Enola opening up her story.

"Gaelle and I are from a realm called **_Silmataurea_**, a neighbor dimension to this world, but vastly different. Gaelle and I are from the four ruling families that oversee and protect the lands. The closest idea from your world I can think of to name what we are would be royalty." Her lip quirked slightly before continuing, "Our families all work in conjunction from our corners of the realm to protect the whole. It has been so for over millennia. However, as of late… the Hollow Lands have grown stronger, various agents within the territory coming together under a new unknown leader. Their attacks have grown more viscous, collected under the new purpose: to wreak havoc upon **_Silmataurea_**, and then rebuild and take over from the ground up." She inhaled once more, her amber eyes suddenly taking on a strange blue glow. Her hand clutched Gaelle's, and I felt my heart sinking in my chest. I knew the story was far from over, and I wasn't sure I would like what was going to come next.

"Over the course of the last few months, the destruction was taken to a whole new level. Ira's family was the first to fall, his parents and his sister slaughtered mercilessly within their home. As the only survivor, he came to live with Gaelle and her family. Carter's family was next; ambushed on their way to a war council with the four families. He and his brother Trevelyan only barely managed to escape, at the cost of their parents' lives." I inhaled sharply, biting the edge of my lip.

Her head hung low for a few moments, and I could hear Gaelle whispering to her gently before she lifted it back up and continued, "We were overwhelmed. Family members were being buried one after another, and the people were falling into fear and panic, turning on each other and us while we tried to regroup. Even after all of this, no thought was given to protecting us until the death of two of my brothers," she bit out angrily, the blue in her eyes flashing to a violent red for a brief moment.

I swallowed, my hand slipping into Don's. He squeezed reassuringly, but I could see the pale horror on his face as well. I half-wanted to ask Enola to stop, because we hadn't asked for this much of her story, but her raw pain and pent up rage was so akin to what I found in Raphael on his bad nights, that the thought of such a request died instantly.

After a few heavy breaths, and April running into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for Enola – cuz' she's thoughtful like that -, Enola managed to compose herself enough to accept the cup. She took a sip with a grateful nod, and then pressed on. "…so _our_ protector, Wise One, decided that he would take us, the children and young adults, to a safe place. I think he intended to bring us to the Battle Nexus and request that the Daimyo find a safe world for us to hide out within, and perhaps to rally support for a counter-strike against the Hollow Lands…"

My eyes widened, swallowing weakly – my mind racing a mile a minute. They knew about the Battle Nexus? Scratch that. They personally knew the Daimyo? Say WHAT? I glanced at my brothers, and saw from their faces that they were thinking the same thing. It looks like it was a small world after all, figuratively speaking of course.. Oh. Dammit: getting off track again.

"So what was left of the four families began traveling to **_Uialtum, _**the Great Portal. Unfortunately… we were not as discrete about our plan as we had originally thought." Her gaze flicked up toward us, the blue in her eyes darkening. "We were ambushed during our journey by the agents of the Hollow Lands, along with the creatures that naturally dwell there: the **Lokirim**…. or, as you may better know them, the snake-men." A collective growl rose up at the mention of them, getting us troubled looks from April and Casey. Master Splinter just nodded knowingly, as if he knew this already.

"We put up a good fight," she said, sounding softer than before, and offered a proud smile to Gaelle. The smaller girl's now-blue eyes flickered to yellow for a brief moment before turning her head, burying it against her shoulder. "But in the end, there was too many of them, and we were still recovering emotionally and physically. Our protector could only do so much before he was overpowered. It was at that point that our cousin Ira started panicking..."

I made a face at that. Well, yeah. Why wouldn't the guy be panicking? Enola had a certain, rueful look on her face however as she took in my brother's and I's similar expressions, shaking her head. "My cousin Ira is a fledgling **istar**, or, magic user, much like your world's wizards and witches: from a long, long line of extremely powerful **istars**. Ira is a natural at the craft, and as such is very potent, but untrained; susceptible to letting his emotions overwhelm him as most fledgling **istars **are. Due to his power, however, and his inability to control them, when his emotions are out of check it often leads to the world around him being affected. Isolated earthquakes, hurricanes in the middle of a cloudless day… You understand the idea." She smiled slightly, noticing my shocked, but impressed expression. "This time, he accidentally ripped several holes in the fabric of our dimension, creating portals."

She glanced at Gaelle for a moment before continuing. "Carter was the first pulled in, then Gaelle and her opponents. I attempted to go after her, but was pulled into a portal that appeared beneath me. While I was being pulled in, I saw Ira being pulled in as well: which I'm assuming caused the end of the portals' existence, as the portal closed immediately after I went through. Which is why I started looking for them and Gaelle, as they were the only ones I saw pulled through. I need to ensure that they are safe before we make any attempts to reach the Battle Nexus." She downed the rest of her water, exhaling slowly. "And thus, why we are here speaking to you."

With that tone of voice, I almost expected her to add, 'Any questions?' at the end of that. Enola and Gaelle's eyes were both back to their normal colors, looking at us expectantly. I breathed, rubbing the back of my head. That was a lot to take in.

Then Master Splinter rose to his feet, a knowing light in his eyes. "Enola Faradome, isn't it? And Gaelle Yenearsira."

My eyebrows furrowed, and my mouth fell open. Hadn't he been sleeping when she came in? And she hadn't mentioned her last name at all. Come to think of it, no one had mentioned Gaelle's last name either. I watched as Enola's eyes widened, giving a slow nod. Gaelle looked up at him quizzically, eye brows rising into her bangs.

"My name is Hamato Splinter. And these are my sons, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. Forgive me if you have already been introduced formally to them." Oh. Yeah. We forgot that part, didn't we?

Enola gave us all a brief nod and a "Well met," before looking back at Master Splinter, her mouth pulled into a tentative frown. "I'm sorry, but how is it that you know of us?" That was a good question. He should've said so earlier if he knew something, right?

"I was unsure at first, but your recount seems to have jogged this old memory." He gave a slight smile. "I will happily discuss the matter with you tomorrow, but it is quite late, and I am sure we could all use some rest."

I slapped a hand over my mouth to cover up a yawn, slowly nodding. Nobody looked dead on their feet or anything, but you could definitely tell that everyone was ready to wind down and sleep. "If you wish to spend the night with us here, I am sure one of my sons will readily offer up their rooms to your needs." Oh now_ that _was just sneaky.

Enola's eyes widened, hurriedly replying, "No, that's not necessary, the couch is perfectly adequate—"

"My sons are young and uninjured. One night on a pallet or the couch shall not be a detriment to their health." Speak for yourself. Not that I wanted these gals to be uncomfortable, but a man's room was his castle. Or something like that, right?

I looked at April, and saw her torn expression. She probably wanted to let the girls sleep up in their place, but there was definitely a lot more space and sleeping options down here. I gave her a smile and a wave. "April, Case, you guys can go home. We got it covered here."

"You sure?" asked April, raising an eye brow, and casting a side-long glance at Enola.

"We will be fine," assured Enola quickly, obviously looking like she was still trying to find a way to combat Master Splinter's statement.

"Alright, well, take care you guys," she chuckled, wrapping her arm around Casey's. "Bye Gaelle."

Gaelle's head perked, turning quickly toward the sound of April's voice, and flashed a wide smile, waving. "**Quel du,lirimaer. Quel kaima!**"

Enola blinked distractedly, looking down at Gaelle with a gently smile, before turning to look at April. "She says 'Good night, lovely one. Sleep well!'." I grinned at April's blush and soft giggle, raising an eye brow as she perked suddenly, looking like she'd been hit with enough inspiration to finish Beethoven's 9th Symphony. And yes, I knew what that was.

"Oh, and Enola! If you need some clothes, there's still some in the bag. They're probably too small for you, but it's just for one night. We can get something for you if you need tomorrow, ok?"

For a second I thought Enola's shocked expression meant that she was offended, but then she broke out into a wide smile that—holy crap, she had just gotten ten times prettier. What the s_hell_? I'm calling shenanigans. Seriously. "Thank you for your kindness, lovely one. It will not soon be forgotten." I raised an eye brow, noticing the slight pink that entered her eyes as she regarded April, tucking her hair behind her ear – her expression suddenly slightly predatory; in the really sexy way. Was she… was she _flirting _with April? Casey was thinking the same thing, if his stunned expression as he wrapped an arm around her and led her out said anything.

Master Splinter's whiskers twitched in amusement, smiling. "We will gladly accommodate you to whatever you need here. Though, may I recommend perhaps bathing before changing into Miss O'Neil's clothing?" That broke Enola out of whatever haze she was in, looking down at herself with that distinctly girly 'grossed out' face I'd seen on April's face before.

"Yes. That may be wise."

"Very well. Gaelle can show you to the bathroom. As for sleeping arrangements, we could—"

"They can use my room! I-I'll sleep on the couch, it'll be fine," blurted out Don suddenly. Whoah. We all looked at Don with varying degrees of shock and amusement—dude. Hold the phone. Was he_ blushing_? It had to be from being under all the sudden attention. Leo looked like he was ready to run for the thermometer any second from the way he was trying to pin Don to the wall with his eyes, a really strange expression on his face.

"What? It's not like I ever really use it anyway!" Fair point. Even Leo grumbled under his breath to agree on that one. Leo as of late has been on this campaign to get Don into a regular sleeping schedule, but something he didn't seem to realize was the Don could out-stubborn him and Raph combined.

Another knowing smile pulled at Master Splinter's face, making me feel seriously out of the loop. "Very well. Is that alright with you, Enola? And Gaelle, of course."

Enola muttered something to Gaelle, resulting her Bambi eyes widening and searching out Don. The two of them locked eyes, and Gaelle offered a smile that really didn't need a translation, but we got one anyway after the two girls exchanged a few more words. "She said she's perfectly alright with it." Of course she was. I'd noticed the way she was glued to Donnie's shell during the movie. I'm not blind.

"Well in that case, I'm going to go get some blankets for tonight…" stated Don quietly, slipping off without another word.

"If that is everything, then I believe I am going to turn in for the night. Goodnight my sons." We all gave the usual copy-and-paste response. "Goodnight Enola. Gaelle." He nodded his head for each name, and then retreated to his room. The rest of us did likewise after we prepped Enola and Gaelle for the night. Once in bed, curled up with Klunk, I slowly started to fall asleep. The sounds of bathwater running, contented giggles, and strange, but lovely words whispered through the walls kept any nightmares of battles and fallen brothers at bay as I slept.

* * *

**A/N: And there we are. This is the last of the material that actually written up, the rest are just plans in my head thus far, so the next few updates will probably be a bit slower, but hopefully not dreadfully slow. Thank you for reading, and please review! Reviews are now... reviews are now tiny jade turtles and pretty stars, as those are the things around me I like the best. And asking for laptops from you all is just impractical. Leave your 4C's there if you decide it's within your heart's desire, and have a lovely week. **

**(1): _Enola? Where is she? Will she come? _(2): _Gaelle? Are you here? _(3): _Enola! You are here! My heart sings to thee!_  
**

_Kwentra lye i'narn _means "Tell us the tale"


	6. Quel amrun

_Alright, I'm back with the next chapter! Thanks to _**ninja-warrior101 **_and_ **BubblyShell22 **_for their wonderful reviews. The encouragement ignites warm fuzzy feelings in my heart. And thank you to **senecka **for both reviewing, and for beta-ing this chapter._

_Oh, and to clear up any possible confusion, the_ **bolded **_words in Enola's P.O.V. means that they are speaking in her native tongue. Meaning that the audience and the two girls can understand what they are saying, but our four turtle boys cannot. _

_Now without further ado...  
_

* * *

**Enola Faradome's P.O.V.**

My eyes snapped open, quickly taking in the room around me. Where was I? The cold walls were unfamiliar, the bed-…the spot beside me was cold. I quickly sat up, throwing the strange sheets to the side. "**Gaelle—**" I stopped, seeing her standing a few feet away in front of a bookcase, running her gentle fingers over worn and well-loved tomes.

She looked at me with a small smile, walking over to the bed and sitting down. "**All is well, Enola. Be calm.**" I swallowed once more as she touched my hand, and suddenly last night's events came upon me like waves upon a shore. "**Do you remember where we are?**" She asked slowly, tilting her head.

I nodded quietly in response, tearing my gaze from her face to take in the room around me. This was the room of the healer, Donatello. Upon his desk I could see the clutter of various parchments, empty mugs and small foreign objects with string-like metal reaching out from their damaged forms; much like the innards from broken bodies. Exccluding his desk, the room was well kept, organized with the mind of a thinker.

A low growl interrupted me from my thought. I quickly looked back at Gaelle to see a guilty expression on her face. "**My stomach is protesting my neglect.**"

My eyes narrowed, my arms folding across my chest. "**Did you not eat?**"

Her eyes widened in response, quickly declaring, "**Hamato Splinter fed me, I assure you!**" I paused in thought, remembering the sagely creature. The name had sounded familiar to me, but I could not place it, and would not likely be drawn out of me by even a thousand stallions. However, I was reminded of the comments he had made the previous night, in addition to his unexpected knowledge of our names.

"**No need for protestations. I believe you. I think, however, we should go downstairs and have council with Hamato Splinter.**" I waved her aside gently, rising to my feet. I gave a low huff, adjusting the pants and shirt that April had lent me. She was correct about her clothing being an ill fit, as I suspected it would be, considering I was much closer to her Casey Jones's height than I was to hers. Alas, nothing could be done for the moment.

Ignoring Gaelle's muffled giggles at my expense, I began to re-make Donatello's bed. There was no need to make him regret letting us use his quarters. The fact that he had in the first place was a strange thing that denoted consideration. I cast a side-long glance upon Gaelle, who had returned her attentions to the bookcase, her curiosity evident upon her face. "**Come along, Gaelle,**" I chuckled.

She quickly came to my side, taking my hand, and I led her out of the room and onto the hall space that interconnected the entire second floor. Casting a glance over the railing, I saw no movement, no hair nor hide of any creature. Were they still sleeping? I exchanged looks with Gaelle, and we started our descent down the stairs cautiously. It was when we reached the den that we heard it: the 'clangs' and 'clacks' of metal and wood in battle, lessened, by what I assumed was distance. The sounds rang thunderously in my head and I stiffened, gripping Gaelle's hand tighter.

"**Where is that coming from?**" she asked quietly, her voice lowered to a whisper, hand reaching for a sword that was not there. I strained to hear which direction it came from, only to hear the sounds die down; replaced with muffled laughter and banter. I frowned slightly, straightening. These noises should not be subsequent to what we just heard, or even related. I edged slowly toward where it seemed to be coming from, finding a double door.

My lips pulled tightly together as the more violent set of sounds resumed. I pushed open the already-partially opened door with Gaelle close behind. I understood what was occurring the moment I stepped inside.

There was no battle being fought – not in the strictest sense of the word in any case. Instead I could see the four brothers sparring with each other, exchanging insults and praises within the same breath as they dodged and weaved, avoiding the other's blows. I watched in wonderment, only noticing last moment that Hamato Splinter's gaze had fallen upon me with a smile. He waved a hand, and almost like magic, the four halted in their movements, turning attentively toward the mentor; no doubt confused about why they had ceased.

"My sons, it would seem that our guests have awoken."

As one, four heads turned to regard us. It startled me slightly, how in sync these four were – a sure testament to their bond as brothers and warriors alike. "Hey guys!" called Michelangelo cheerfully, waving, but didn't step away from the line his brothers had formed. Donatello gave us a small smile and a wave, his gaze lingering on Gaelle's face for a second more than I would have liked, but then it soon returned to his Master. Leonardo gave us a polite smile and a nod, while Raphael only offered a slight grunt accompanied by a strange upward thrust of his chin. While clearly not human, they held the mannerisms of Earth's dominant species.

I gave a small smile as I regarded them, tentative, but relieved that they had not reacted harshly to intruders upon whatever morning routine they had. "We had thought you would sleep in for longer, young ones," Master Splinter said with a chuckle. "Of course, it was our mistake to assume any such thing about you two. We only have one more round of sparring left and then a cool down; it should not be too long. You may watch, if you like."

I was ready to decline his offer, but I had to remember that it was not my place to make decisions for both Gaelle and I. I sighed, leaning down. "**Hamato Splinter wishes to know if we would like to sit in and watch them finish their training. Is this something that interests you?**" Predictably, her eyes lit up and she nodded rapidly. I exhaled slowly, meeting the sagely one's gaze. "Only if it is not bothersome. Though I can assure you we will not be cause for distraction."

"It is no bother, Miss Faradome. Spectators are only a minor challenge to overcome. Please, sit with me." I guided Gaelle to where Master Splinter was seated, and sat down beside him. "Now, my sons," he started, immediately drawing all attention in the room, "Leonardo shall pair off with Donatello, and Raphael with Michelangelo." I caught a heated glare between Leonardo and Raphael, causing my eyebrow to rise. Dissent within the ranks and between brothers, it would seem. I watched the pairs take to their areas of the room and face off, hands ready at their weapons.

"Begin," stated Hamato Splinter with a single clap of his hands. Glancing at Leonardo and Donatello, the two of whom Gaelle was watching intently, I saw them circle each other, looking for an opening. A ferocious cry soon took my attention away from them, and I only turned my head in time to see Raphael leaping at Michelangelo.

From what I had seen of Michelangelo and heard from Gaelle, which was admittedly not much, I could guess that he was probably the youngest of his siblings. His posture when sitting in itself, loose and bereft of the discipline I could see within his brothers, bespoke of a childish nature and a casual attitude: Hardly befitting of a warrior. When his larger and noticeably more aggressive brother charged at him, I half expected him to crumple or halt in fright, but he stood his ground. More than that, he sidestepped Raphael with a ridiculously-sized grin on his face, delivering a sound blow to his side.

"I'ma gonna kill you!" howled Raphael, enraged further, but his stance had a more defensive edge to it.

"Yeah, yeah, Raphie-boy. I see right through you, dude, puttin' on a show for the ladies! You know that angry-losing-control stuff doesn't work on the _Battle Nexus Champion!_"

"That's it! That big mouth o' yours is goin' first, pinhead!"

My jaw hit the floor. I will admit it. I may have underestimated him before, but… I did not think my judgment was _that _misguided. Battle Nexus Champion. I would have to reassess my evaluation of him; that much was sure. I was distracted from my thoughts once more, when the banter fell away, leaving only heavy breaths and the clash of weapons.

Raphael and Michelangelo were tightly interlocked, now fully focused as they side-stepped and dodged, parrying and deflecting. The way their bodies moved, corded muscle contracting and extending, it was almost unearthly. Such stocky creatures should not be able to move so gracefully, but here they were, defying my preconceptions. I let my gaze cast across the room, catching sight of their brothers' similar dance. I could see now, all four of them were deadly predators. There was no hesitation as their movements got faster, to a speed where thought-out attacks weren't possible; only base reactions and ingrained instinct. It was beautiful, and fascinating… As well as terrifying.

I swallowed softly, feeling my respect for these warriors, the ones who had saved Gaelle, growing even greater. These were the ones who could help us find our cousins, I was certain. It was surely destiny's intentions that our paths should cross.

* * *

**Donatello's P.O.V.**

I have no idea why I did what I did last night. There was nothing logical or reasonable about the offer that came tumbling out of my mouth. It just didn't make any sense. I had delicate projects in my room, objects I was risking by allowing Gaelle and Enola to stay in there. I don't understand it at all; it was completely a heat of the moment idea, something I usually had the will-power to abstain from voicing aloud. But those grateful smiles on their faces… I smiled to myself, sighing softly.

Who was I kidding? I was a pushover when it came to the female gender of any species. Anyone who examined the way I'd interacted with April the first year I'd known her would be able to draw the same conclusion. Never mind the other girls we'd run into on our travels. Not that it ever mattered, of course…

I pressed the button on their coffee machine, watching as it filled up. Normally practice was enough to get me fully awake in the morning, especially one with an attentive audience; but it would seem I needed an extra edge today. Leo was crowded next to Mikey in front of the stove, trying to maneuver a tea kettle away Mike's flurrying arms and spatula. I had tuned out of the conversation for a moment, but it seems Mikey had started bragging about his "World-Famous" pancakes; either unaware or ignoring the exasperated looks Leo and Raph were sending his way.

Master Splinter was watching serenely from his seat of the table, smiling in amusement. Enola looked equally amused, but was rapidly translating for Gaelle regardless. I was impressed either of them were managing to keep up with Mikey. When he's on a roll, well, there's no stopping him or slowing him down. However, I noticed, Enola was regarding Mike different than she had been before, a strange glint in her eye. I frowned to myself at the look, pulling my coffee mug out when I heard the 'click'. Her expression had been like that ever since she had watched us finish our training.

"Would you like some tea, Enola? Or Gaelle?" asked Leo, politely as ever, and effectively cut off Mikey mid-stream. He was talented at that. Very few people could pull it off without some form of retaliation later on. She leaned down toward Gaelle, quickly translating once more. Once she received her reply, she offered a smile. "Yes please."

The kitchen grew quiet as Leo set about pouring tea for Sensei, our guests and himself. Mikey was fully involved in cooking, and Raph was rocking back and forth in his seat carelessly. It was Master Splinter who broke the silence, "I am sure, Miss Faradome, that you have retained your curiosity from last night." He paused, acknowledging her nod with a soft twitch of his ear. "I am close friends with the Daimyo, and every three years I have presented myself as a competitor in the Battle Nexus Championship."

I could see the cogs slowly starting to turn in Enola's brain as she translated for Gaelle. Their faces held nearly identical expressions of intrigue, but neither of them said anything in English, waiting for Master Splinter to continue. "I was introduced to the Heads of your families' three tournaments ago as respected associates of the Daimyo, and even competed against one Drusus Faradome and Emmeline Yenearsira, I believe it was."

I exchanged looks with Leo, my eye brows raised. From the sounds of it, and judging from the way Gaelle broke into a wide smile at the mere mention of the names, then those people were certainly close to them. After translating, Enola turned to beam at Master Splinter. "My father and Gaelle's mother," she elaborated, but her smile quickly turned dim, looking down at the table.

"Yes. The similarities, physical and behavioral, are quite striking." Master Splinter offered her a gentle smile when he noticed her down expression, reaching out to take their hands. "They were capable warriors when I met them, and now surely they are even more so."

Enola gave a small smile and a slow nod. "They are. And surely, that is not the end of your tale?"

"It is not," chuckled Master Splinter softly. "When I returned for the next tournament, we conversed more freely and about a wider variety of matters. We briefly touched upon the troubles in your homeland that were starting to rear their heads, but those discussions did not last long due to the presence of three of the Faradome sons. Instead we turned to conversations of family, and I found myself eager to share stories of the burdens of parenting with others aside from the Daimyo." His gaze swept over all of us pointedly, a teasing edge to his gentle smile.

I smiled into my coffee as Michelangelo gave a slight squawk of mock indignation, and was promptly elbowed by Leo. "Don't let your pancakes burn, Michelangelo." A loud, exaggerated cry of despair filled the kitchen, but the sobs didn't last that long, so the pancakes were more than likely just fine. Drama turtle.

Master Splinter cleared his throat, and just like that all attention was back on him. Leo set down three cups of tea, and then slipped into his seat, sipping his own cup calmly. "Be careful, it's hot," he warned, and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at his instinctive 'Mother hen' nature.

Smiling, Master Splinter continued, "Then the last tournament—"

"Whoah, whoah, wait!" cried Mikey, waving the spatula desperately in the air. "You aren't going to tell them the story about how you kicked Drako's butt and totally won the tournament?"

Enola's eyes went so wide I was concerned they might just pop out of her head. "You were a champion as well?" As well? What did that mean exactly—"I remember now! I was young then, only eight at the time, but I recall my father and my brothers talking about you – and the way you triumphed in your battle despite a foully served handicap. As a matter of fact, my brothers would not keep quiet about the battle for a full year." Her smile grew fond, if slightly sad, shaking her head, and quietly translated for Gaelle once more.

I watched Master Splinter's ears perk, and I knew he was flattered. I grinned softly, finishing my coffee. If anyone deserved more recognition, it was him. Raising us was no easy task in itself, but if you piled all of his other accomplishments on top of that, it was utterly inspiring. A humble smile on his face, he dipped his head in gratitude before reaching for his tea. "I am surprised I made such an impression upon them."

"It was a profound one to be certain. They were eager to be able to fully engage in conversation and battle with you the next tournament, but… situations arose." All that was left of her smile crumbled, handing Gaelle her tea and cupping her own in her palms, the steam rising up to gently brush her face.

"Yes… I remember being surprised when the Daimyo informed me that none of your family had come this year. When my sons unexpectedly joined the tournament…" he regarded us, and all of us adopted sheepish expressions in response. We didn't regret a moment of it, of course, but we also recognized the stress the situation had put on our father. "I had been hoping for full introductions to finally be made, but… it was not to be. Considering what you spoke of, last night, it is hardly surprising that they would put time aside for such things."

Enola gave a quiet nod, but thoughtfully paused before saying, "I did hear, however, through hearsay and family friends who attended, that the tournament was quite the chaotic event that year."

"Understatement," we all deadpanned simultaneously.

"Totally an understatement," added Mikey, piling pancake after pancake onto the plates, "I mean, aside from me winning the tournament—"

"Out of complete dumb luck," cut in Raph bitterly, arms folded across his chest as he stopped leaning, his chair coming back down with a 'thud' against the tile. Oh yes. He'd never really gotten over that one. It didn't help that after all this time, Mikey was still eager to bring it up and rub it in our faces.

I was surprised when instead of Mikey coming to his own defense, it was Enola who replied, "One doesn't simply win the Battle Nexus Tournament out of serendipity."

"Yes, and 'One does not simply walk into Mordor' either, but that didn't stop anybody," replied Leo dryly under his breath, only loud enough for Master Splinter and I to catch it. I snickered slightly as I refilled my cup. Our Sensei regarded us sharply in a visual reprimand; but it wasn't as scalding as it could have been. This was likely because he also knew how potentially loud Mikey could get basking in his own glory, especially now that he had one apparent fan in his audience. "Pancakes, Mikey," Leo then chided, in a voice loud enough for Mikey to hear through his own ramblings.

"Oh! Geez! Stop distracting me guys!"

"You say that as if that's our fault, bonehead," shot Raph with a growl, leaning back in his seat once more. "An' hurry up with that food already."

"You can't rush art!" was the petulant reply. I rolled my eyes, and slipped into my seat beside Gaelle with my coffee mug, swallowing slightly as she regarded me with a bright dimpled smile. I pointedly ignored Leo, who was side-eying me from across the table.

"Enough about the past," Master Splinter started sagely, "Tell us about your cousins, Enola. Anything you think might be pertinent to finding them. We can discuss a course of action after our meal." Leo straightened slightly, leaning in to listen. Raph maintained a feigned disinterest as he continued to lean back in his chair, but he had stopped picking at his teeth with the tooth pick he'd been fiddling with the entire conversation.

"Of course," replied Enola quietly, running a hand over her braided hair. "Cassian is very tall, with blonde-red hair and pale blue eyes. He fell through the portal with his bow and quiver in tow, so he likely still has those on his person. However, he has been to Earth on brief occasions and would know to hide both his belongings and his ears. He knows a minimal amount of English as well, but hardly enough to sustain him." Leo nodded as she spoke, and I found my fingers tapping quietly upon the table as I listened. Mikey finished piling the pancakes, and was now listening intently, shifting from foot to foot, moving his hands between plates. Raph bounced steadily in his leaning chair despite disapproving glances from both Leo and Master Splinter.

"My cousin Ira is fairly non-descript. He has light brown skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. He's taller than Gaelle, but shorter than me. He also does not know English or any of Earth's customs and in his panic is probably not going to think to cast translating spells. Additionally, it's likely that some sort of physical or mental tax has been taken upon him; having been used as a conduit for the untamed magical forces of our world. While it's equally important that they are both found, but I am much more worried for Ira at this point." That was some pretty heavy stuff. I sighed slightly, shaking my head before I took a sip.

"Even if we don't manage to find a definitive course of action, our eyes will be peeled for them, I assure you. April and Casey will gladly keep an eye out for them as well," Leo said calmly, giving a soft smile. Enola's gaze met his, and she smiled slowly, nodding.

"Aaaaaalright! Breakfast is ready!" chirped Mikey happily, slipping off his 'Kiss the Cook' apron. I'm not quite sure what he was thinking when he picked that up and decided he wanted to keep it. "Donnie, my main turtle! Help me set out these plates, will you? Don't want the Battle Nexus Champion to be saddled with all these 'menial' tasks, right?" I sighed, setting down my mug. That's right, I forgot. Mikey and thinking in the same sentence was a paradox; it would likely disrupt the space time continuum if it ever occurred. Or maybe just rip holes in the fabric of space and time. Either way.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed seeing things from Enola's perspective for a brief moment: it's probably not going to happen much more unless people specifically ask for it, as this is a story revolving around our TMNT boys. I just thought some insight, and some well-deserved praise of the turtles, within Enola's mind might be nice to see. Reviews are love and ducklings and everything fluffy. Leave your 4C's there if it so pleases you. School is coming up soon as well, which means I need to get cracking on pesky summer homework. Updates are probably going to become more infrequent, but I will try to upload new chapters as often as I can. ^^ All my love to my readers!**

_'Quel amrun _means "Good morning"


	7. Goth en gothamin

_Hey guys! I finished this chapter sooner than I expected! ^^; Thank you again to _**ninja-warrior101 **_and _**BubblyShell22 **_for reviewing. It keeps a girl motivated and happy, for sure.  
_

_This chapter is un-beta'd, so all mistakes are mine and my own. I really wanted to get this up for you guys. By the way? Karai was not meant to be in here. But she snuck in anyway. Along with some other villains... but, well, you'll just see later, won't you? This is where the action, and the plot line is finally going to start to pick up. ^^ Not much, but it gets the ball rolling.  
_

* * *

**Oroku Karai's P.O.V.**

I straightened my papers in the silence of my chambers, black curtains closed to block out the light of the rising sun. The light only served to expose secrets, which I keep carefully buried in the depths of my home. It had no place here in the world of shadows and deception. Fitting, really, when one considered the fraud and treachery of corporations and their transactions; which was but another piece of my life. A part that, unfortunately, I have been slowly losing my grip upon.

My father was always able to rule both worlds with an iron first with little effort. Admittedly, I am not my father. Nor was he here to correct or guide me, thanks to those accursed turtles. I frown pulled at my features at the mere thought of them, forcefully pulling open the drawer of my oak desk. The mutated freaks. I quickly filed away the papers, the motion practiced and sure.

I lifted my head upon hearing a tentative knock against my door. "Come in," I called, my voice pathetically strained. Weakness was not to be allowed. I must compose myself better than this. I rose to my feet, watching the messenger, a common Foot soldier, enter the room and kneel upon the floor, bowing his head low in respect. As it should be.

"Mistress Karai." I waved a hand for him to continue whatever it was he wanted to say, walking over to stand before him. I clasped my hands together behind my back, looking down at him as I waited for him to speak. "One of our patrols came across a group of snake men: similar to the ones that were found early last night. They were weak and confused, and were easily captured with no witnesses. They have been brought down to the cell level, but are being kept separate from the first group."

My back straightened, silently processing the information. More snake men? Last night a flash of blue light had been seen across the sky, and soon afterward my men had found a group of strange beings within our grounds. Apparently they were discovered while the two snake-men were arguing, tugging possessively upon the arms of an unconscious young man. They were quickly taken captive by my men, but I did not have the chance to inspect the creatures myself until I had returned from a gala one of my business partners was throwing.

I tried to interrogate them, but I ran into a language barrier and was not able to proceed. I almost wondered if they were one of Bishop's creations, but they seemed in far too great of health to have just escaped from his care. Then there was the matter of the boy they had come with; who, in actuality, was not human either. I had hoped that I could communicate with him instead, but for all intents purposes appeared to be mentally deficient in some way. He's ignored the food and water we've presented to him, and hasn't recognized any attempts to converse with him, just staring with vacant, glowing white eyes.

In the long run, I was unsure if keeping him alive was of any use. Perhaps it was best not to waste resources and to put the thing to death, but another part of me said to give it time, and perhaps we would get answers then. It had nothing to do with compassion, or weakness. He would be spared, but only until I found my answers. Regarding answers… "Has Chaplin made any progress with the translation device?"

Silence fell for a few moments before the soldier pushed past the change of subject, giving a slow nod. "He said it should be ready within a matter of hours, Mistress."

"Very well. I shall not attempt to speak with the creatures until he is finished with it. Is that understood?" The nod came with a lesser amount of hesitance this time, and I found myself with a small smile on my face. "Very good. Now, for the rest of the report…"

* * *

**Leonardo's P.O.V.**

I watched with a raised eye brow as Donatello paced the living room, face clouded with heavy thought. I was seated beside Michelangelo on the couch; my younger brother all but vibrating with nervous energy. Raphael was quiet, slouched on the other side of Mikey, fingers picking at yet another piece that was ready to fall off of our couch. Both Donnie and I got on his case about preserving the little furniture we had, but it fell upon deaf ears. Like usual.

I shouldn't spend so much time hounding my younger brother, but his attitude made my own internal arguments against my involvement hard to listen to. It was frustrating, truly. Even now, when I should be concentrating on a way to help our new found friends, I was instead concerned about the growing animosity that was rearing its head once more between Raphael and me.

The silence around me was deafening, all of us having retreated into our own minds. "No ideas?" I ventured calmly. I knew we'd all been thinking about it, even before there had been the conversation in the kitchen. Really, we'd come to an informal unanimous decision once Enola had told her story last night. We'd seen many battles, and more horrors than any person had the right to. But the massacre of entire families, attempted or otherwise, was something else entirely. I had seen my brothers' expressions following the tale: disturbed, but resolute. We would help them, like we had helped many others.

"Well… I think I might have something… there's no saying whether it would actually work or not…" we all turned to regard our genius brother. "Coming into our world in the explosive way they did, there's sure to be energy signals leftover. After all, the power necessary to literally create tears within the fabric of a dimension would have to be phenomenal." I briefly thought of the portals we'd encountered before: the ones created by sigils to create a stable gateway to the Battle Nexus and the ones violently torn into creation by the Daimyo's War Staff that sent us hurtling through dimensions and parallel realities. Don's theory, like most of his work, was sound by that logic. "With the right materials, I could make a device that could track the energy signal once I feed it a sample."

"Right materials? Dude, this sounds like something that would have to come off the prop table of Star Trek," interjected Mikey in bewilderment.

Don shook his head in silent response, and I could see him working out the details in his head. His mouth moved slightly in erratic mumbles, tapping his fingers against each other as he held a mental conversation with himself. I exchanged looks with my brothers, waiting for him to catch up to whatever calculations his brain was cooking up. "No, no, no, if I can just get those, it'll be fine," he muttered to himself. After a moment he shook his head, offering a wide smile. "Nope! If we head down to the garbage dump, I'm sure I can find the supplies I'll need there." It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. The things he could create out of junk and old spare parts… it really made one profoundly consider the phrase 'One man's junk is another man's treasure' on a more practical basis.

"While you're there, see if the homeless network has found anyone fitting the description Enola gave us," I said, getting to my feet. Our friend the Professor and the majority of our homeless contacts have long since moved to the Island Landfill ever since the Garbageman fiasco. A few people still remained however, still ready to help us out on occasion.

Don blinked slowly, but gave a nod. "Sure thing, Leo. Mikey, you coming with?"

"Why? Do you need my immaculate eye for detail? Or perhaps my people skills?" asked Mikey, tone full of self-gratifying smarm.

"Sure," replied Don distractedly, heading toward his lab. "All of the above. Just come on already. I need to grab some supplies and I'm not sure how long the energy signals are going to wait around: we need to move quickly."

"You aren't even listening to me!" complained Mikey, trotting after him despite the fact.

Raph rose to his feet beside me, rolling his neck to the side. Three 'pops' followed the motion, along with a grunt of satisfaction. "Well. Donnie-boy seems eager to get this rollin'…" he drawled. "I ain't sure if it's the five cups of coffee he had this mornin', or if ain't something else.

I frowned slightly, sighing. He had a fair point… but then again, next to Mikey, Don was the most compassionate of all of us: ready to sacrifice and take it to the next level in the process of helping others. It was no surprise that he was just as passionate about helping out Gaelle, Enola, and their family. Speaking of which…

"Did April mention when they'd be back?" I asked curiously.

Raph gave me a 'Hell if I know' expression accompanied by a lazy shrug. "She said she was getting' clothes an' stuff for 'em. I ain't knowin' how long that stuff takes." I sighed slightly. After breakfast, and after questions from Enola regarding our origins (our story has been told enough times to where we could completely tell the tale without taking more than 5 minutes), April had come by to pick them up. She was intent upon taking them shopping for some clothes that actually fit them. Probably a good idea, as Enola had practically been bursting out of the shirt she was wearing this morning. Not that I paid any particularly close attention to that fact. I just casually noticed while sitting next to her this morning.

I turned, noticing Raph giving me a shark grin, arms folding his arms across his chest. Dammit. I hurried to straighten my expression, but knew it was too late. "Yer thinkin' about Enola in that top, ain't ya?"

I growled in response, folding my arms. "No." Yes. In a way. I was seventeen years old; it was perfectly healthy. I wasn't like I was being disrespectful. I did _not _deserve to be chastised like this: especially by _Raphael_ of all people. I'd seen those magazines he thought he'd so cleverly hidden. Who uses their mattress as a hiding spot and then honestly thinks that no one will ever look there? Besides Raphael, apparently.

"Totally were. Ya perv." He gave a harsh laugh, walking off to the stairs.

I didn't bother to grace that with a response. Instead I calmly stated, "I'm going to watch the news reports for anything out of place. You know. To _help _find the girls' cousins." I glared at him as he ascended up the stairs. At least I had the satisfaction of knowing that I was doing something about the search, even if it was not likely going to prove to be a fruitful venture.

He smirked down at me from the second floor, yellowish brown eyes locked onto me with a condescending stare. "Sure, sure, Fearless. You do that." He then promptly turned and went to his room. Just like that, any remaining internal arguments intended to keep myself from running interference on every aspect of Raphael's life were squashed. Brutally. _Every_ single_ last_ one.

* * *

**Oroku Karai's P.O.V. **

I walked briskly down the hall, Chaplin yipping at my heels like an overexcited puppy. At times it was hard to remember that this man was one of the best and brightest in his generation, for how easily he traded off the act of an intellectual for one of a chattering, lovesick chimp. It would be more amusing to witness if the attentions were not directed toward me, and if the antics interfered less with his work.

He held the translation device in his hand, something concocted from the Ultrom technology leftover from my father's reign: what little there was that had not been used for his suit or the rocket in which he tried to make his escape from this world. My fists clenched at my side. An escape that would have succeeded were it not for Leonardo and the rest of those damned turtles. Chaplin, attentive as ever, noticed the change in my mood and quickly ceased his useless rambling, clearing his throat.

I nodded at the Foot soldier guarding the door to the first cell, and he quickly swiped the small black keycard across the scanner. The door slid in, and I wrinkled my nose upon the scent of filth and rotten flesh. Angry hissing emanated from the room, visibly intimidating Chaplin. He gulped slightly, stepping quickly to catch up to me after I strode inside. I squinted, looking into the dim room, and called out for the soldier to raise the lights.

As the lights rose, I watched the two snake-creatures recoil in their shackles, hissing growing even louder. "**Feuyaer, kwentra lye mankoi naa lye naa! Ya auta yesssssssste' lle? Manke naa tanya** _**Yavieba**_**? (1)**"

"SILENCE!" I snarled in response, pressing my foot against the chest of one of the reviling creatures that had dared intrude upon my ground; dared to disrupt the sanctity of my home. The snake-men grew quiet, reptilian eyes slitting as a forked tongue slithered out. They said no more, however, understanding the intent of my command.

I turned, nodding at Chaplin. "Turn the device on." I scowled, noticing his awed expression. I was to be feared, not gawked at. He gave a slight squeak as he noticed my expression, and quickly nodded.

"R-right away mistress!" I watched disinterestedly as he turned a few dials and pushed buttons. "I-if—WHEN it works, it s-should make it so that it sounds like they're speaking English, and that we're speaking whatever language they're speaking…" I quickly grew impatient, waiting for him to just go ahead and do his job. I was about to snap at him to go faster when he erupted with a pleased cry, "A-alright! Here we go, it should be working!"

The snake-mens' eyes flew to Chaplin, giving low hisses, eye ridges pressed and furrowed in confusion. I gave a smirk, pressing harder into the chest of the snake-man I was above. "Do you understand me now?"

The creature gave a slow nod, eying me suspiciously. "**Yesssss….**" I grinned darkly, giving Chaplin a nod of approval before erasing the expression. I leaned down, meeting the creature eye-to-eye with a growl.

"Now, why were you on my grounds, vile thing?"

A forked tongue flickered out at me angrily, it's torso shifting beneath my foot. These creatures were not so large without their billowing black robes, but I could see defined muscles through the scales. "**It wasssss not our intent, powerful one… we were in the purssssuit of the lassssst of the four familiesssss, when ssssstrange holesssss opened up in the sssssky and the earth, pulling ussssss through with the ****_Yavieba_**** child. We found ourssssselvesssss here in your home, our number reduced and with the boy unconsssssciousssss. Our only desssssire issssss to return home to our masssssster with the child in tow, powerful one."**

I paused, considering this. The 'child' they spoke of could only be the young man they'd arrived with. Surely he was useless? Why would they have such an avid interest in him? Perhaps this was a family feud, designed to kill and destroy all that remains of certain lines. In that case, it would be simple to kill him.

"Why return him? Perhaps I should just kill him for you," I ventured slowly, raising an eye brow as they shrieked – pulling at their restraints with blown pupils overtaking the yellow in their angry eyes.

"**No! He must ssssstay alive! He isssss the lassssst! The masssster needs him! Jussssst return us to our home, powerful one! Our masssster will surely repay you for your ssssshow of good faith!"**

**"You will anger masssster if you kill the boy," **pleaded the other snake-creature, much slimmer than its companion, who had until just now been silent. **"Harm him if it so pleasssses you, but he mussst be kept alive!" **How interesting. Why would they be invested in keeping alive, but not necessarily whole? Nowhere near whole, if the blank white stares was a true reflection the state of his mental being.

I smiled, offering out the next piece of bait. "We found three more of your kind this morning. My patrols found them wandering the streets."They looked at me in amusement, not the concern or urgency which I had been expecting. Perhaps I was too used to dealing with reptilian creatures that placed the health of their brethren before their own.

"**It would ssssseem our fellowsssss were alssssso drawn into the holessss of the world. Unlessss they had their own prey in hand when you captured them, powerful one, then they are of no ussssse to our masssster. Foolsssss drawn into the holessssss while not in pursssssssuit dessssserve no place among usssss." **I filed that away, giving a slow nod.

"I will keep that in mind. In fact, I think I'll go speak to them now." I removed my foot from the snake-men's chest. They regarded me with disinterest, though their filthy bodies were shivering: the odor of rotten flesh growing stronger. I coughed, briefly sweeping a hand over my mouth to brush away the smell. "Though, I must know: what is it your kind is called?"

Its face contorted into a leering smile, sharp teeth coming into view. "**My fellowssssss and I are ****_Lokirim_****, powerful one. And we sssssserve the masssster and his waysssss. Do not move againssssst him. Even all of your magic," **he gestured to the device Chaplin was holding, "**could not stand againsssst his might."**

I shuddered slightly, folding my arms to cover the motion. I frowned darkly, giving a low sneer, "I am Oroku Karai, the mighty Shredder and leader of the Foot Clan." I leaned down into its suddenly confused face, declaring in a savage cry, "I fear no one!"

Reptilian eyes blinked at me, a strange expression crossing its face – the smile all but dropping as its features contorted, growing proud and angry. **"You will learn to, "****_Shredder"_****. You will learn." **I roared angrily, storming from the cell. Chaplin scurried to catch up with me, babbling to himself like the fool he is. I am Oroku Karai, the Shredder. All shall learn to respect me, or perish.

I turned upon exiting the cell, sneering at the bewildered guard, "Behead the vile thing. This insolence shall not stand!" The soldier stared at me, no doubt gaping behind the mask.

"Both of them?" he asked tentatively.

"No… no just the one to the right," I grit out, fists curling and uncurling rapidly. "Have it beheaded and then taken to the lab for dissection. Let the other one learn to fear whom it ought to fear," I said the second sentence slowly, savoring the idea. I watched him, seeing him hesitate with his hand upon his sword. "NOW!" I screeched.

I turned to look at Chaplin, whose awe and admiration had been replaced with outright shock and fear. I let my mouth draw up like a curtain. Yes. I would be respected and feared, if I had to carve it into the bodies of my fallen foes. I gave a low chuckle, walking down the hall. "Come along, Chaplin," I ordered, the command accentuated by the scrape of a sword being pulled out of its sheath. It was soon followed by an angry shriek of despair as a wet 'THUD' resonated through the open cell door. "We have others to speak to."

Chaplin gave a half-whimper as he nodded, quickening his pace to keep up with me. We strode down the hall until we reached the next cell, giving a nod to the guard for him to open the door. "And turn on the lights." Soon, the door slid open.

I stepped into the darkened cell, Chaplin timidly following behind me. The rank smell that seemed to emanate from the snake-men was heavy in the room as we waited for the guard to lift the lights. The four creatures blinked warily, streaming low hisses as the lights came on. **"Who are you?"** asked one, its tone careful as it regarded me. I smirked in approval of its hesitance.

"I am Oroku Karai; and this is my city that you have trespassed in. You, and others of your kind." I watched as they gave no urgent response to the mention of others, expressions alight with bemusement and keen disinterest. Much like their companions.

** "It wasssss not of our choice to come here, great one," **replied the creature, forked tongue flickering out. "**Our prey fell through a hole in the world, and we pursssssued her." **Another member of the family they were trying to eradicate, no doubt.

"Your brethren shared a similar story… in fact; they themselves arrived on my grounds with a young man in tow. He is within my custody as well." Their hisses grew excited, eyes lighting up in a malicious glow. My lip quirked, watching their 'representative' fumble with his words; no doubt readying himself to make a plea or bargain, but I swiftly cut him off. "Though, I must wonder, whatever happened to this girl you were pursuing? There was no report from my men of any such being."

I gave a low chuckle as their delighted expressions crashed into a familiar look of shame, soon followed by anger. The snake-man spat out angrily, **"Sssssshe was within our grasssssp, but those ssssstrange ssssshelled-backed creaturessssss ssssstole her away from usssss."**

I could feel Chaplin stiffen beside me, and my heart similarly froze within my chest. The turtles. I curled my hand into a fist angrily at the mere mention of them. Always interfering, always making things worse for me… I noticed the creatures staring at me, their 'leader' giving a slow smile as comprehension dawned on his face. Perhaps these things were not as stupid as they appeared. "**These creaturessss, they have causssssed trouble for you asssss well?**" I growled, sensing the formulation of an offer. "**Perhapsssss, there isssss an arrangement that could be made…?**"

I snarled, taking a step toward the beast, and wrapped my hands around his scaly neck before I could halt myself. "I need no help with those accursed turtles… they are MY enemies! And I will have revenge!" Chaplin stared at me with wide eyes, and his terrified gulp awakened me from my barbaric behavior. I quickly released the creature's neck, wiping my hand across my pant leg.

The creature coughed heavily, yellow eyes slitted, but a small smile crept upon its face. **"I-I mean no offenssssse, great one… but surely, if that was the case, you would already have them within your grassssp?"** My eyes narrowed. It was true. But my father would never accept help from the likes of these creatures. I myself had smoked the turtle freaks out of hiding once… but now I had no leads. I could not exact revenge if I could not find them.

I frowned darkly, deciding that despite the impudence of the question, he would not be punished for pointing out a simple truth. However… "I assume that you are offering to… counsel me…" the idea tasted like ashes in my mouth, but it was the only word I could bear as I continued, "…in the destruction of the terrapin nuisances, but I am not inclined to think that anything you offer would be of use. You were, after all, captured by one of my patrol groups." And as much as I hated to even consider the idea, the turtles had more skill and cohesion as a singular unit than legions of my Foot ninja combined.

The creature blinked for a moment, frowning slightly before it recovered with a broadened smile. **"Yessss… but if it isssss true that you have the Yavieba child… then there are certain dark magicsssss we can utilize to find the Yenearsira child."**

I gave a slow smile, realizing their intent. Knowing the terrapin freaks, they had taken the girl to their home to be tended to. It was likely that she was with them now. "And she will lead us to the turtles," I finished slowly. Leonardo ought to have learned long ago that compassion was a warrior's downfall. All of them should have. But now? Their weakness would be my strength. Then a thought occurred to me. "What if the girl is not with the turtles? What if she has run away at the sight of them?" That was also a likely option. However compassionate the turtles may be, they could do little in the face of prejudices against their appearance.

The lesser creatures exchanged nervous looks, but the one in charge just gave a toothy smile. **"Then we will take her and the boy to our master. And he himssssself will personally reward you for your effortsssss. He will grant you any wish you could desissssre: and if the deaths of thessssse hindering 'turtles' isssss what you crave, then so ssssshall it be." **The tone was final and solemn, but I knew better than to wholly trust that snake-oil tradesman smile. But what could I do? I had no choice. The destruction of the turtles must be brought about; my revenge must come to completion. I will do whatever it takes, even if it means lowering myself to the likes of these petty, filthy creatures.

"Deal." I replied. Their eyes all widened, identical smiles contorting their expressions. I cleared my throat, turning toward the cell door. "Guard? Release them from their shackles. I wish to get started on this matter as soon as possible." I could almost taste the icy, bitter flavor of revenge; I was so close. The destruction of the turtles would be brought about: once and for all.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, so, I hope I got showed Karai going slightly off her rocker alright. And if you think. And I apologize about Leo, I was trying to be suave about Enola, but then that teenage mind of his got carried away. *shrugs* Thanks for reading! And please leave your 4C's if it so strikes your fancy! Oh, and as the next part has not been written yet, let me know if you'd at all be interested in scenes of April taking the girls shopping. I'm opting for 'no' at this point, but tell me if you think any differently. Thanks again! Much love. Oh, and reviews are currently peaches and unicorns.**

**(1):** **_Disgusting one, tell us where we are! Who's leading you? Where is that Yavieba?_  
**

_Goth en gothamin _means "Foe of my foe"_  
_


End file.
